


The Royal Pack

by joyrachsis6



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Aftercare, Alpha Gladiolus Amicitia, Alpha Ignis Scientia, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beta Noctis Lucis Caelum, Beta Prompto Argentum, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Rape Aftermath, Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-14 02:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16031396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joyrachsis6/pseuds/joyrachsis6
Summary: The Royal Pack has finally found their omega...but now another alpha is trying to claim her for his own pack.  Find out how she joins the Royal Pack in the first place...and how they react when someone decides to try and take her away.





	The Royal Pack

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: HELLO EVERYBODY!!! So…this became a giant thing…It was initially supposed to be like 10 pages and a tiny(ish) story…and then it blossomed out into a 24,000 word and 48 page story… xD Still, I hope you like it! It’s an omega-verse story, but I changed the normal omega-verse formula to better fit my vision of it. Here’s my version, which is different than how many other writers write it:  
> 1\. Alphas, of course, are the leaders of the pack. There can be two alphas in a pack, but one is the “pack alpha”, who leads the group. If there are two alphas, then they have an “Alpha link”, an alpha-only version of the pack bond. They are the most protective of their pack, and their scents tend to pass on strength and reassurance to their packmates. They can also use “alpha authority” (which forces the receiver to do what they’re saying), which in this story is shown by bolded and italicized text.  
> 2\. Betas are the most common “second gender”, making up a majority of the population. They may not be able to bolster their packmates like alphas can, but they are the “comforters” of the pack, and are able to give off a strong comforting and soothing scent. Thus, if there is an omega in the pack, they tend to form a special connection with the beta and seek them out if they are stressed or hurt.  
> 3\. Omegas are the rarest “second gender”, and as such most packs do not have one. Male omegas are more common, and can not get pregnant. Female omegas can, however, and therefore were treated as simply there to be bred. King Regis worked to change that, however, and now it is unlawful for omegas to be treated that way. Many alphas are still “traditionalists”, however and are not fully on board with the king’s laws. Omegas are naturally more shy and quiet, and tend to be much smaller physically than alphas or betas. They form fierce and strong bonds with each separate pack member, and are the most likely to be hurt if the pack dissolves. They go into heat (just like alphas go into ruts), but unless they are mated to an alpha (sometimes also a beta) their heats are painful and can only be helped by mating or by pack scents.  
> 4\. There are multiple ways for a pack to be formed. One way is through sexual means, but others exist, such as “scent acquisition”, where each current packmember bites the new member in a certain spot while in wolf form and floods them with their scent. The bites create the “pack bond”, a telepathic bond between the pack. The bond has limits, as it will not work if packmates are too far away, but it is the easiest way for packs to communicate. People can also be forced to switch packs, and this is done by the pack’s alpha, who has forcible sexual contact with the desired pack member. This attempt can be rebuffed, but only if the original packmates get there quick enough and restore their bond.  
> There are a few more things, but they’re explained during the story. I’ve glad that this is finally going out—I’ve been working on it for over two months, so it’s weird to have finally finished it (except for a second chapter, which will be much shorter, and I’m not sure when it will be out…)!  
> WARNING: MENTION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT! (I don’t write the actual event, just the aftermath of what happened. It’s one of the main plot points, however, so I wanted to make sure to get this warning in here.)  
> DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY XV AND NEVER WILL I JUST LOVE THE BOYS TOO MUCH TO STAY AWAY!!!!!  
> Please enjoy “The Royal Pack”!

The “Royal Pack”, as it had come to be known, naturally contained four members—Prince Noctis (a Beta), his advisor, Ignis Scientia (an Alpha), his Shield, Gladio Amicitia (another Alpha and the head of the pack), and his best friend, Prompto Argentum (another Beta).  However, though many people didn’t know it, their pack _also_ contained an Omega—Madison Scott, who was three years younger than both Prompto and Noctis.

How had she come to be a part of their pack?

_Well_ …

***

Noctis, Prompto, and Madison had become friends during Madison’s freshman year of high school, when Noctis and Prompto were seniors.  The two of them mainly kept to themselves, hanging out and joking around basically every day.  The only other people they interacted with besides themselves were Gladio Amicitia and Ignis Scientia.  Noctis had recently presented as a Beta, and the Alphas in the Citadel—his father, his father’s Shield, Gladio, and Ignis—were _very_ protective of him.  Prompto may have been a Beta himself, but he was just as protective as the others.

As the two headed down the hall at the end of the day, a loud noise drew their attention.  “What is that?” Prompto asked, straining to see what was going on.  “It sounds like…”  A sharp scent suddenly flooded the hall, and both Noctis and Prompto gasped.

It was the scent of an Omega.

And they were in _pain_.

Noctis and Prompto ran down the hall, finally coming on a group of about ten Betas and Alphas.  They were standing in a semi-circle, seemingly fencing in a small figure.  Neither could see the figure, but Prompto roughly elbowed Noctis in the ribs.  “ _Dude, on the floor…there’s blood_.”

Noctis growled, tapping the nearest Alpha on the shoulder.  “Let us through.”  The Alpha laughed, turning to face.  “And what right does a lowly Beta have to command me— _oh_.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Prompto said, training his own death glare on the Alpha.  “That’s the Crown Prince of Lucis.  So let us through, _now_.”  The Alpha glared at them for a few moments before snarling.  “ _Fine_.  The little runt was starting to bore me anyways.”  He turned and began to walk away, his friends following once they noticed him leaving.

A soft whine caught Noctis and Prompto’s attention, and they glanced down to see a small girl curled up under a water fountain.  She was small—about five feet and three inches tall—with brown hair and dark brown eyes.  She blinked up at the two boys, biting her lip.  Noctis sighed, kneeling down to her height.  “Hi there—what’s your name?”  The young girl glanced down at the floor, taking a few moments before saying, “Madison.”

Noctis smiled, slowly moving closer to her.  “It’s nice to meet you, Madison.  I’m Noctis, and this is my friend Prompto.”  Something flickered in Madison’s eyes, and she began to untangle her limbs.  “You’re…Betas?”  Noctis nodded, carefully stretching his scent out towards her.  Madison gasped as it reached her, freezing where she sat.  To her surprise, the Betas in front of her didn’t seem to want to hurt her, unlike the ones who had cornered her earlier.  Their scents, instead, were gentle and soothing, slowly connecting with hers.  Noctis moved a few steps closer, smiling at her.  “You’re hurt, aren’t you?”  The smell of embarrassment immediately flared up, but it faded rapidly as Prompto scooted forwards and rested his hand on her knee.  “We can help you, Madison.”

“How?”  Madison bit her lip again before asking another question.  “And… _why_?”

“Because you need help,” Noctis replied, “and because we want to.  Both Prompto and I have always wanted to have an Omega friend—they’re super rare.”  He smiled, holding out his hand.  “My friends and I will help you…but only if you let us.”

Madison’s eyes flickered briefly between Noctis and Prompto before nodding.  “O…okay.”  Noctis smiled, helping her to her feet as Prompto grabbed her bag.  “Come on, then; Ignis should be here by now.”

“Who…who’s he?” Madison asked.

“He’s one of our pack’s alphas,” Prompto responded.  “Gladio’s the head pack alpha.”  He smiled at Madison.  “Don’t worry, neither of them will hurt you.  They’re a _bit_ protective of Noct, but they won’t bother you.”  Madison nodded, easing back into Noctis’ arm around her shoulders.

A car was waiting for them as they left the school.  The driver was leaning against it, locking eyes with Noctis as soon as he appeared.  “You’re late, Noct.”

“Sorry, Specs,” Noctis replied, “Prompto and I ran into a new friend.”  The taller man stared at Madison, who was unconsciously moving to hide behind Noctis.  The sound of footsteps distracted her, and she looked up to see the tall man standing in front of her.  “And who might you be, little one?”  The scent of _Alpha_ was overwhelming, and Madison gulped visibly.  “Um…I’m…Madison.”

A slender hand slipped under her chin, turning her face towards the alpha’s.  “It is nice to meet you, Madison.  My name is Ignis, and I am one of Noctis and Prompto’s alphas.”  He smiled, crouching to her height.  “Are you all right?”

“She’s hurt somewhere, Iggy,” Prompto answered.  “We don’t know where yet, but…”

“Understood,” Ignis said.  He squeezed Madison’s hand.  “May I ask where you are hurt, Madison?”

“Um…” Madison blushed, trying to look down at the ground.  “There was a group of alphas and betas shoving me around earlier, and my shoulder got slammed into the thing that water comes out of on the water fountain.”  Ignis nodded, moving his hand to gently press against her shoulder.  When Madison gasped in pain, he nodded again.  “Will you come with us, Madison?  That has to be painful, and I would like to help you.”

“… _why_?” Madison asked, glancing back up at him.

Ignis smiled.  “Because Noctis likes you and is already feeling protective of you.  If you have Noct and Prompto on your side, then, after a few details, you have Gladio and I as well.”

“ _After a stupid background_ check,” Prompto mouthed.  Madison blushed darker, nodding at him seconds later.  “Yes, please…my father and mother aren’t going to be home for a while, and it would be hard for me to take care of it by myself.”  Ignis nodded, glancing up at Noctis and Prompto.  “Would you like to take her back to the Citadel or your apartment?”

“Probably my apartment,” Noctis said, “she’d probably freak out with how many people are in the Citadel.”  Ignis nodded, rising to his full height and leading them towards the car.  “Come along, then—Noct’s apartment is not that far away.”

***

When they arrived at Noctis’ apartment, Noctis gently pulled Madison up the stairs.  “Gladio’s already here, I think,” he said.  “He’s my Shield.”

“He’s…the one who protects you, right?”  Noctis nodded, smiling down at Madison.  “Yep, just like his dad protects mine.  I know he’s going to like you when he meets you.”  Madison smiled shyly, glancing down at the ground.  Normally she wouldn’t have gone off with unknown alphas and betas—especially with the way they had been treating her during school—but there was something comforting about how Noctis and his friends were treating her.  Noctis, especially, felt incredibly comforting, and Madison somehow knew she could trust him.

As the door opened, Madison froze.  A _very_ tall man was standing in the room, turning to look at them as soon as they entered.  “What took you so long, princess?”  He then caught sight of Madison.  “And who is _that_?”

“Gladio, this is Madison,” Noctis explained.  “She’s an omega Prom and I met, and we invited her to come over after she got hurt.”  Gladio’s eyes narrowed, only softening when he made eye contact with Madison.  “How did you get hurt?” he asked, making his way towards her.

“She was shoved around by a group of alphas and betas and ended up having her shoulder slammed into a water fountain,” Ignis replied.  Gladio growled, his hands clenching into fists.  “That’s _messed up_.”

“I know,” Ignis said, “but right now we need to _help_ her, not plan how to punch several high schoolers.”  Gladio sighed and nodded, sitting down next to Madison.  “Can we see your shoulder?”  Madison nodded, removing her hoodie before pulling down her shirt just enough to show a mess of cuts, lacerations, and bruises along her left shoulder.  Gladio winced, resting his hand on her back.  “That looks painful, Madison.”

“It’s not too bad, but— _owh_!” Gladio pressed on the wound, glancing down at Madison as he did.  “ _Any_ injury can get bad if you don’t treat it before long.”  As he spoke, Ignis walked over with a potion.  “Here—squeeze this.”

Madison took the potion, carefully squeezing it.  She gaped as it shattered.  “I’ve never used one of those before…”  Noctis chuckled, jumping on the couch next to her and leaning against her.  “Potions _are_ a bit uncommon, it’s true,” he said.  “I guess we’ve just gotten used to them being readily available since I’m the prince.”  Madison nodded, smiling shyly.  She took a deep breath.  “Also…I just realized that I never said thank you for helping me.  I’m used to dealing with this sort of stuff by myself, so…I appreciate the help.”

“You’re welcome,” Prompto said, coming up behind them.  He shifted into his wolf form as he approached and leapt over the couch, ending up in Noctis and Madison’s laps.  He then smacked Madison’s hand with his head until she began to run a small hand through his fur.  Ignis rested a hand on her knee, squeezing gently to get her attention.  “Madison, if I may ask…why were alphas and betas attacking you?”  Madison glanced down, avoiding making eye contact with the others.  Prompto gently licked her free hand, leading to her taking a shuddering breath.  “I, um…I’m an omega, as I’m sure you can tell, and female omegas are pretty rare nowadays.  Most of the time when a female omega is part of a pack, she’s used as a…um…breeder.”  Prompto purred, moving closer to her.  “At least one or two of the alphas at school want me…for that…and most of the other ones just want to make fun of me for not being a beta or alpha.”  She blushed, biting her lip.

“Is there anyone you’re friends with at school?” Gladio asked.  Madison shrugged, finally looking back up.  “I’m friends with a beta named Emily, but she’s about it.”  Noctis smiled, running a hand through her hair.  “Well, now you’ve got two more friends there.”

“…seriously?” Madison asked, glancing over at him.  Noctis nodded, smiling at her.  “Definitely.  I can’t sit around and let someone like you get attacked by a bunch of alphas and betas, and I’d like to get to know you better, as I’m sure Prompto does.”  Prompto nodded, licking her hand again.

“I, uh…same,” Madison said, blushing vividly.  Gladio smiled at her, squeezing her hand.  “Well, then, I guess we’re going to get to know you too, if you’re going to be hanging out with princess and blondie here.”  Madison’s jaw dropped, which caused the men to chuckle.

“You’re getting four new friends, kiddo,” Gladio said, “you’d better get used to it.”

***

After that day, Noctis, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio slowly began to become friends with Madison, both at school and afterwards.  Madison was incredibly shy and timid, but gradually warmed up to them the more time they spent together.  Over time, Madison became a close friend to each of the men and a more common sight around the Citadel.  She helped Ignis find ways to sneak vegetables into Noctis’ food, kept Prompto company when Noctis was busy with his royal duties, helped Gladio set up for training—and laughed at Noctis when he got his butt kicked for the fifth time—and helped Noctis study when sickness or pain forced him to be absent from school.  In return, Noctis and Prompto looked out for her at school, and Ignis and Gladio helped keep an eye on her when she came with Noctis and Prompto to Noctis’ apartment.

After a few months, Emily—Madison’s other friend—met with Noctis and told him that a few betas had been harassing Madison earlier that day, and now she was nowhere to be found.  Noctis and Prompto immediately began looking for her, and Ignis and Gladio looked around Insomnia when they had the time.  Madison wasn’t found until later that afternoon, where she was curled up in the corner of Noctis’ room in the Citadel that she had snuck into.  When asked why she snuck into Noctis’ room, she bit her lip.  “I panicked,” she murmured, “and, uh…Noctis’ room feels like the safest place.”  Noctis smiled, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder.  “If you feel comfortable in here, then I’ll make sure you’re allowed in whenever you want.”

“Your Majesty,” a Kingsglaive said, “the only people allowed in your room here unsupervised are your father’s pack and your own.”

“Well, then,” Noctis said, “I probably should have waited for a better time, but…” he rested a hand on Madison’s shoulder, staring at the glaive.  “Madison Scott is the newest member of my pack, and she is to be allowed to be anywhere the rest of my pack is.”  Madison gaped at him.  “Are you sure, Noct?”

“He’s not been surer about much else,” Ignis said, kneeling down next to her.  “You are allowed to refuse, of course, but-”

“No, I’m…I’m not refusing,” Madison stuttered, “I’m just surprised that Noctis wants me in his pack.”

“We all do,” Ignis replied, offering her his hand.  He pulled her to her feet, leading her to sit on the bed.  “You’ve become close to us over the last few months, and we’ve grown protective of you during that time.  We would be honored if you would join our pack.”  Madison smiled, nodding quickly.  “Yes, of course I would,” she said.

“Good,” Noctis said, pulling her into a side hug.  As he held her, Gladio knelt in front of her.  “Madi…how have you heard of people joining packs?”  Madison bit her lip as she thought, blood draining from her face a second later.  “Oh, um…mostly through…that thing…”

“Through sex, you mean?”  Madison nodded, nearly biting through her lip.  Gladio smiled, slipping a hand under her chin and raising it to face them.  “Don’t worry, Madison—there are other ways of initiating a pack bond.  There is _no_ way we will be bonding with you that way.”

“…sure?”  Madison’s eyes began to glisten, and Gladio quickly rubbed his thumb over her cheek to calm her.  “Of _course_ I’m sure.  For one thing, you’re underage, so if we _did_ do anything like that, it would be illegal, and my dad would _murder_ me.  For another, there are other ways that work just as well to create a pack bond. I know the way most people do it is through sex, but there’s lots of other ways we can do it.  Neither Ignis or I want you to have to go through your first time just for that, and I’m sure Noct and Prom feel the same way.”

“Definitely!” Prompto called, hopping onto the bed to lean against her from behind.  “We all joined through that scent restore-y thingy, so I’m sure we can do that for you too!”

“Scent _restoration_ , Prompto,” Ignis groaned.  He rested a hand on Madison’s other shoulder.  “He is right, however—scent acquisition would most likely be the easiest way to initiate the bond.”  He sighed, glancing down at Madison.  “It would, however, require your allowance for us to bite you while in wolf form.”  Madison froze, but Prompto beginning to purr from behind her helped her to relax.  “It’s only painful for a few seconds, Madi, and the bites aren’t that deep.  They just have to be deep enough for your wolf to recognize us and our scents as your packmates, and not just your friends.”

“What do you think, Mads?” Noctis asked.  “There’s no shame in saying no.”  Madison sighed, glancing around the room for a few seconds before nodding.  “Yeah.  If that’s the easiest way to do it, then let’s do it that way.”  She jumped as Gladio pressed a kiss to her forehead, his eyes shifting a bit darker as he did so.  “Good.  Shift into your wolf form and then hop onto the bed.”

Madison nodded, immediately doing as he asked.  As soon as she transformed, both Noctis and Prompto inadvertently began to coo.  “Man, I know omegas are typically smaller than betas and alphas, but…you’re _tiny_!” Prompto said, scratching under her chin.  The gesture and words earned him a glare from Madison, but it was true—she was tiny.  She was small enough in her human form, but her wolf form could be mistaken for one of the small dogs that roamed the Citadel’s grounds.  A faint scent of embarrassment began to emerge, but Ignis ran a hand through her fur to soothe her.  “You’re just the right size, Madison.”

As she leaned her head into his palm, Ignis glared at the others.  “ ** _Be careful with her_** ,” he ordered through their bond.  “ _If we’re not cautious, with her small stature, we could seriously injure her_.”

“ _Don’t worry, Specs_ — _we won’t hurt her_.  _If anything, my wolf just wants to cuddle her_ ,” Noctis replied, grinning at Ignis.  He jumped a second later, however, at the touch of a small and warm tongue against the scent gland on his left wrist.  As soon as he glanced down, Madison shrank back.  She didn’t go far, however, as Noctis ran his thumb along her back.  “It’s all right, Madi, you don’t need to freak out.”  He then shifted to his own wolf form before lying next to her and licking the top of her head.  Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio locked eyes with each other and smiled.  Gladio then reached out, scratching under Madison’s neck as he made eye contact with her.  “Are you ready, Madison?”

Madison nodded, curling up further against his palm.  Gladio smiled as he glanced at the rest of his pack.  “All right, then…let’s do this.”

***

After that day, Noctis made sure to announce to everyone he could reach that Madison was officially a part of his pack.  There were immediately protests and arguments against her inclusion, but Ignis countered them all.  “Prince Noctis has the right to choose who is joining his pack,” he said, “and if he wants to add this female omega, then he has every right to do so.”

“But why _this_ omega?” a reporter asked harshly.  “I’m sure there are any number of female omegas in the Citadel who can…satisfy the prince’s pack’s…urges.”  Ignis growled, his canines sharpening instantly.  “That is exactly why Prince Noctis asked Madison to join his pack.  He has no intention of using her in that way, and neither do Prompto, Gladio, and I.  He asked Madison to join her pack because he is _friends_ with her and wants to make sure that she is protected.”

“But that’s what female omegas-”

“If you finish that sentence with ‘are for’, I will stab you where you stand,” Ignis snarled.  A strong and calloused hand caught his shoulder, however, keeping him from moving.  “ _They’re traditionalists, Ignis…let it go_.”  Ignis took a deep breath, relaxing a bit into Gladio.  Once he had calmed enough, Gladio turned to the reporters.  “The Prince has made his decision on who is to join his pack, and this is final.  If you try and remove her or do something to get her out of the pack, I will know, and I will _not_ be happy.”  His scent began to spread out in a challenge, and the reporters unconsciously took multiple steps backwards.

“Of…of course, sir,” the reporters said, continuing to back away.  Ignis smirked, glancing at Gladio.  “ _Laying it on a bit thick there_?”

“ _If it gets them to lay off Noct and Madi, then no_ ,” Gladio replied, rolling his eyes.  “ _I’m tired of people doubting Noct as the prince just because he’s a beta **and** people expecting that we just want Madison in our pack to have sex with her._”

“ _People are always going to see Noct as weaker than his father because he’s a beta instead of an alpha, and they tend to see omegas as just there to be used, with how rare they are nowadays_.”

“ _Hopefully that changes soon with the way the laws are going_.”  Gladio sighed, glancing at Ignis.  “ _I told them off, Ig—they’re not going to be going after Noct any time soon.  You can stop glaring at them now.”_ Ignis continued to glare at the reporters, and Gladio tightened his grip.  “ _Come on_ , _Specs, don’t make me order you.  You know I hate doing that._ ”  Ignis growled, but he allowed Gladio to pull him away.  “Come on, Specs.  The kids are in Noct’s suite playing something with Iris, and we don’t have anything to do until training later.”

“And I’m sure Madison will love watching your father take you down.”  A quiet spattering of laughter echoed across the bond, and Ignis froze.  “Please tell me that we were talking through our Alpha link, and not the pack bond.”

“Don’t worry, Ignis—the kids will never know that you actually showed an emotion.”

“Hush now.”

***

“What were you _thinking_?”  Madison glanced at the ground, scuffing her foot against the ground.  “I was _thinking_ that they’re my good friends, and that they were the only ones who would ever ask me to be in their pack.”

“ _We_ are the ones who get to decide your pack, not you.  You are just a child, and still have to do what we tell you to.”

“Not in pack terms—we’re allowed to choose whoever we want in our packs, and I wanted to be a part of my friends’ pack.”  Madison jolted as her father shoved her back towards the wall.  “You seriously think you could be friends with the crown prince?  He and the rest of _his_ pack see you as someone to be tolerated, and nothing more.”

“That’s not true!”

“It is, and you know it.  Now go upstairs to your room, and don’t come back down until you’re ready to apologize.”  Madison growled, glaring at both her father and mother—who were wearing similar smug expressions—before turning and leaving the room.  She darted up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.  She curled up in the fetal position, desperately trying to hold back her tears.  Suddenly a sense of calm and warmth flowed through the bond, and Madison’s phone _ding_ -ed.

_Prom: Hey Mads…what’s up?_

_Me: Not much…what’s up with you?_

_Prom: Mads, I could feel you through the bond… **what happened**?_

_Me: Nothing, Prompto, it’s...it’s nothing.  Just my parents being their typical annoying selves.  It’s nothing._

Madison sighed, leaning back against her pillows.  She occupied herself with YouTube and fanfiction for a while, but eventually put her phone away and went to sleep.  A soft noise woke her up, however, and she jumped at the warmth resting behind her.  Before she could say anything, though, she felt the form behind her gently nose the back of her head.  “ _It’s just me, Mads.  Go back to sleep_.”

“Prom?  Why…why you here?”  Prompto huffed, switching back to human and running a hand through her hair.  “We could all feel your distress through the bond, and I was the closest.  Specs texted to ask if I could check up on you, especially since you said it was because of your parents.”  He sighed, carefully pulling her out of her fetal position and onto her back.  “What happened?  I know they don’t really like us, but-”

“It wasn’t anything too major,” Madison said, “basically just them getting mad at me because I joined Noct’s pack instead of whichever one they wanted to force me to join.”  Prompto’s eyes narrowed.  “They’re kinda ashamed of me being an omega when they’re an alpha and a beta, so they try to super-control everything that I do.”

“Well, that’s messed up.”

“I know, but…technically they still have some authority over me, since I’m still fifteen.  Not necessarily in pack stuff, but in everything else, yeah.”  Madison rolled onto her right side, resting her head against Prompto’s chest.  She could hear and feel his heartbeat against her ear, and the sensation pushed her back towards sleep.  Prompto smiled, brushing a kiss along her temple.  “Well, we’re glad that you joined our pack, Madi, and we’re not going to let your parents try and force you out.  You’re stuck with us.”  Madison chuckled, her eyes drooping.  “Good.  You should…leave before…you get…caught.”

“Don’t worry about that—your parents will never know that I was here.”  Prompto’s free arm looped around her stomach, the other continuing to run through her hair.  “All you need to worry about right now is going back to sleep and forgetting about your stupid parents.”  His fingers and orangey-vanilla scent brushed up against the barely-visible bond mark he had left above her ear, and the gentle touches further eased her into rest.  The last thing she was aware was Prompto pulling her closer and softly nudging her scent gland.  “ _Rest_ ,” he whispered.  “ _Your scent will block mine_ , _so your parents will have no idea I’m here_.”

***

For the next few months, Madison slowly began to integrate herself into the pack.  She was still shy and unsure of her place among them, but the others made sure to include her in everything they could.  When Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio were busy with royal things, she and Prompto would hang out at his house and entertain themselves.  She was also doing better in school, as Ignis tended to help her with schoolwork while Noctis worked on reports.  As long as she didn’t mention her packmates to her parents, her home life was improving immensely.  Her school life was also doing better, as Noctis, Prompto, and Emily were making sure that other alphas and betas were staying away from her and not bullying her.  Other than the odd alpha trying to get too close, she seemed to be growing more confident in herself and her place in life.

_Until_ …

“Night, Micah!”  Madison waved at a couple of juniors before leaving the school.  It was eight thirty, and she had just gotten out of her thespian club meeting.  Noctis and Prompto had offered to wait up for her, but Madison had refused.  “It’s only about a ten minute walk, and I’ve made it more times than I can count.  I’ll call you if anything happens.”  Neither boy was happy with it, but they agreed.  Before they left, however, Noctis rested a hand on her cheek and glared at her.  “ _Call us if **anything** happens_, _understand_?  _We don’t want you to get hurt_.”

“ _Don’t worry, Noct, nothing is going to happen.  I’ve made this walk a billion times, and most of the people know not to mess with me_.”  Noctis sighed, running his thumb over her cheek.  Prompto, meanwhile, leaned against her back.  “ _Still, let us know if anything goes wrong, okay_?”  Madison glanced at the ground, but nodded.  The scent of relief swirled around her, and Prompto pressed a kiss to the back of her head.  “Good.”

“Specs, Gladio, and I have some royal stuff to do later, but we’ll be able to help if you need us to, all right?” Noctis asked.  Madison nodded, leaning into his and Prompto’s touch.  “Good.  Tomorrow’s an in-service day, so Ignis suggested you come over and we can get some homework done.”

“Sounds good to me.”  And with one last hug, Noctis and Prompto left the school.

Now, Madison was walking along the darkened streets, trying to stay under the street lights as much as possible.  A few people had tried to approach her, but her glare and soft snarls kept them at bay.  As she crested the hill by Prompto’s house, she pulled out her phone and opened the pack’s group chat.

_Me (to all): Just got to the hill by Prom’s house_ … _be home soon_!

Madison tucked her phone back into her pocket before starting down the hill.  She walked for about three minutes before coming to a sudden halt.  She could hear someone coming nearer, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.  She glanced around, biting her lip as the sound came closer and closer.  “ _Where is he coming from_?”

A moment later, a huge weight landed on her back and shoved her to the ground.  Madison immediately began to struggle and attempt to push the other person off.  The only thing she managed to do, however, was roll onto her back and see a large white wolf pinning her to the ground.  The wolf sneered, shifting back into his human form.  “Hello there, Madison.”

“Get _off_ of me!” Madison protested, trying to kick him.  The other just laughed, pressing down further on her.  “And why would I, when this is the natural state of my omega?”

“I’m not _your_ omega, you idiot!  I’m a part of Prince Noctis’s pack, and nothing that you can do can change that.”

“Oh, really?”  The alpha sneered, his hands starting to trail further downwards.  “They should have warned you, then, that an alpha can force an omega to switch packs…by use of a _certain_ method.”  Madison gulped, only managing to get one more kick in before the alpha pinned both her arms and legs.  “You won’t be a member of that pack for long, I promise you that.”

***

Once the alpha had finished, he got to his feet and scoffed.  “Wow…that beta really _did_ pick the weakest omega.”  Madison glared weakly at him, but he just smirked.  “I’d be surprised if the four of them ever decide to talk to you again after what you just let happen.”  He started to walk away but glanced back before he got too far.  “You’re a part of my pack now, omega, and nothing you do will change that.”

Madison laid on the ground for a few more moments, barely keeping from whining in pain.  After a few moments, however, she slowly struggled to her feet.  She tried to reach out through the bond, but she was seemingly out of range.  Madison briefly considered calling Noctis, but put her phone away after checking the time.  Royal business tended to exhaust Noctis more then most activities did, so she usually tried to give him some space afterwards.  She also briefly thought about calling one of the others, but she shook her head.  “ _No.  If I told them what just happened…no, I’m not telling them_.”  She wrapped her coat further around herself before staggering down the road.

It took her a further five minutes to reach her house, and she walked in to see both of her parents sitting in the living room watching tv.  “Where were _you_?”

“Uh, I, uh…I had a thespian meeting…and then I…ran into an alpha.”  Her father scoffed, briefly glancing up at her.  “Good—it’s time you found better alphas than the prince’s stupid shield and advisor.”  Madison shuddered, curling further into herself.  “I’m gonna...I’m gonna go hide in my room for a while.”  Before her parents could say anything else, she darted upstairs to her room and slammed the door.  She slid to the ground a second later, curling her arms around her knees and starting to sob.

After a half-hour, Madison staggered her feet, making her way towards her small bathroom.  She took a quick shower—in which she barely managed to avoid throwing up and barely cleaned anything off—before changing into her loosest t-shirt and sweatpants.  Then, she glanced around her room.  “ _I…I can’t_.  _No…I can’t be here_.”  She knew Noctis and the others were going to stay at his apartment, so she wouldn’t go there; she definitely couldn’t deal with the boys in her current mental state.  She couldn’t stay home, though, with the way her parents would be acting.  So, after grabbing her bag and sticking her phone back in her pocket, she slipped out of her window, shifting into wolf form as she reached the ground.

If she couldn’t be at home and she didn’t want to interrupt her friends…she knew exactly where she was going.

***

Noctis slowly began to stir, rolling over and over before blinking his eyes open…

And then rolling to the floor.

“ _Owh_ …”  Noctis heard a giggle from up above him, and Prompto stuck his head over the bed.  “Did you mean to do that?”

“Of course I didn’t, Prom,” Noctis growled.  “Who means to fall off their bed?”  Prompto grinned, helping Noctis to his feet.  “Somebody probably does somewhere.”  Noctis stretched, glaring at Prompto.  “Did Madi ever get in touch yesterday?”

“Yeah, she sent a text that she had reached the giant hill before her house and would be home soon.  She never sent a text that she’d reached her house, but I’m sure that she did.”  Noctis nodded, throwing on some clean clothes before leaving his room with Prompto in tow.  They headed into the living room to see Ignis and Gladio glancing at each other, two concerned scents swirling thickly around the room.

“Have you heard anything from Madison today?” Ignis asked.  Noctis and Prompto shook their heads.  “No—we saw her yesterday at school, but she had a thespian meeting afterwards, so we told her we would see here tomorrow.”  Noctis sighed.  “We haven’t heard anything from her since then besides a text saying she was on the hill by Prom’s place.”

“Well, that’s not good, because we haven’t either,” Gladio said.  He ran a hand through his hair.  “I tried calling her home, but her parents thought that she was out with us and yelled at me when I said that she wasn’t.”  He chuckled.  “Her father’s got a set of lungs, I’ll give him that.”

“That’s not good—it’s nearly ten in the morning,” Ignis said, crossing his arms.  “We need to find her.”

“Well, good thing it’s an in-service day, so we don’t have school,” Prompto added.  “It’ll be easier to track her down when we don’t have to be in school.”

“Do you have any idea where she might be?  It’s gonna be hard to find her if we don’t have a general location,” Gladio asked.  Noctis and Prompto glanced at each other and then shrugged.  “Besides school and home, not really,” Noctis answered.  “If she’s not there, she’s usually somewhere with one of us.”

“If she’s not at home or with us, then she might be at school.  You two go and look there first, and we’ll check around here.  If we can’t find her within a couple of hours, we’ll meet back up here.”  Noctis and Prompto nodded, quickly heading out of the apartment.  They slowly made their way towards the school, stopping everywhere they could think of to check for Madison.  As they walked, Prompto growled.  “I can’t reach Madison through the bond.”

“Is she just asleep, or?”

“No—it’s like she’s blocking me from the bond.  Every time I try to reach her, something blocks me from connecting with her.”  Noctis sighed, trying to reach out through the bond.  Each time he tried to connect with Madison, a wall seemed to have been thrown up.  “ _Crap…why can’t we reach her through the bond_?”

“ _She’s physically blocking us_ ,” Gladio replied.  “ _I don’t know why, but she’s actually throwing up a block_.  _That’s one of the main reasons we need to find her_.”

“ _We’re nearing the school_ , _so hopefully we’ll be able to find out **something**_.”

“ _Let us know if you do_.”  Noctis and Prompto sent approval over the bond before they crested a hill that led to the school.  They spent almost half an hour searching the school but found nothing but her faint scent left behind from the previous night.  They could follow it to the end of the chain-link fence, but from there on her scent completely vanished.  “ _Damn it_ ,” Noctis whispered.

“What are you two doing here?”  Noctis and Prompto looked up to see a teacher walking towards them.  Prompto bit his lip, glancing up at Noctis.  “We’re looking for our friend.  She was here yesterday, but we haven’t heard from her since then.  Has Madison Scott been around here today?”

The teacher sighed, shaking her head.  “No, I haven’t seen her.  I have been nervous for her the last few months, however.  There seems to be an alpha pursuing her and making her feel incredible uncomfortable.  I don’t know what his true intentions are, but…”

“She’s had a lot of alphas going after her for creepy reasons,” Prompto replied.  “We’re worried that she might have run into one of them and gotten into trouble.”  The teacher nodded, sighing again.  “I left school around the time that the thespian meeting got out, and it seemed as though there was someone nearby when I did.”

“Did you see who it was?” Noctis asked.  The teacher shook her head, crossing her arms.  “No.  I’m pretty sure it was an alpha, though.  The thespian club is almost entirely comprised of betas and omegas, so an alpha’s scent there that late was unusual.”

“What happened after that?” Prompto asked.

“After I left, the person seemed to follow a couple of the students.  I didn’t see what happened after that.”

“Great…thank you for letting us know,” Noctis sighed.  He locked eyes with Prompto, who scowled.  “ _Crap…this is a problem_.”

“ _Yeah, no kidding_.”  Noctis turned back to the teacher.  “Thank you, ma’am.  Hopefully we can find Madison soon.”

“I agree.”  The teacher sighed.  “I saw her walking towards that hill when she left.”  She pointed to a hill off in the distance.  Prompto nodded, pulling out his phone and opening a text.  “We know she made it to that hill, because she sent us all a text saying that she made it there.”

“You should probably check over that way, then,” the teacher said.  “I’ll take a look around the school and see if I can find anything.”  She bowed to Noctis before slowly walking back towards the school.  Noctis and Prompto glanced at each other, both exhaling quietly before heading towards the hill.  Before they reached it, however, a gentle push came through the bond.

“ _Noct, Prom_ — _where are you?_ ”  Gladio’s question brought both Noctis and Prompto to a screeching halt.  “ _We’re over by the school…why?_ ”

“ _We ran into one of the Citadel’s servants out in the farmers’ market buying some food, and he said that some of the glaives think they may have seen Madison._ ”

“ _Wait, seriously?  Where_?”

“ _There’s rumors that she may have run up to the Citadel_.”

“ _Wait—what_?  _Why didn’t they tell us she was there_?”

“ _Apparently the servants didn’t want to bother you if it turned out to be just a rumor.  Plus she looks like the dogs in the Citadel_ , _so they weren’t sure if it was her or not._ ”  Noctis growled, glancing at Prompto.  “ _I wish they would have told us_.”

“ _We’re on our way up there now, so we’ll see you up there_.”

“ _All right_ — _Prom and I are heading that way_.”

***

As Noctis and Prompto walked into the Citadel, they were nearly bowled over by a servant.  “Your Highness,” she wheezed, “Madison, she…she’s locked herself in your room, and won’t let anyone in, not even Ignis or Gladio.”  Noctis and Prompto locked eyes with each other before nodding.  “Thank you, Renee,” Noctis said, “we’ll go and talk and talk to her.”  Renee bowed, watching as the two men hurried off toward Noctis’ room.  When they arrived, they found Ignis and Gladio pacing outside the room.  “What happened?” Prompto asked.

“We’re not sure,” Ignis said, “but according to all accounts she darted in there and locked the door so that no one else can get in.”  He glanced at Noctis.  “Do you have your key?”  Noctis nodded, moving up towards his door and pulling out his key.  “Madi,” he said, “I’m going to unlock the door now, okay?”

“ _No_ …”

“We need to get in there, Madi,” Prompto called, “Noct has the biggest bathroom and I need to pee.”  A few seconds passed with no response, but a faint scent of approval slowly emerged.  Noctis sighed in relief, quickly unlocking the door and leading the way inside.  Madison was curled up on the floor and leaning against the side of his bed, her arms resting on top of her knees and her head laying on top of that.  She was whimpering quietly, her eyes were dilated slightly, and her breathing was very shallow and quick.  Her side of the pack bond was filled with nervousness and panic, which flared up immediately as the men walked through the door.

***

“Madi…what happened to you?”  Gladio started to move forwards, but Madison scrambled backwards as quick as she could as soon as he started to move.  Her breathing had begun to speed up, and her eyes were rapidly flickering around the room.  The scent of fear was overpowering, along with the subtle scent of shame.  “It’s…it’s nothing.  I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine, Madison—your scent is full of fear and shame…” Ignis briefly cut off, his gaze sharpening as he glanced at her.  “And infection.  Where are you hurt?”

“I’m…not hurt,” Madison murmured, continuing to try to move away.  She refused to make eye contact with either of the Alphas, knowing that both Gladio and Ignis would use their Alpha voices to make her talk as soon as she did.  She instead stared at the floor, continuing to hyperventilate.  Ignis took a small step forwards, stopping immediately when Madison whimpered.  “Just talk to us, Madison—what is wrong, and who has hurt you?”

“Nothing and no one…I just…”  Madison cut off, biting her lip.  She was still refusing to look up, so she inhaled sharply when a quiet pulse came through the pack bond.

“ _Breathe, Madison—you are safe.  We will not hurt you_.”  A soothing scent began to spread throughout the room, which Madison recognized as the “soothe and reassure” scent that only Betas could pull off.

She _also_ recognized the scent as specifically Noctis’s.

_Crap_.

Madison let out another quiet whine, backing into the corner.  She bit her lip, starting to shake slightly.  When Gladio took another step forwards, something inside of her snapped, and she shifted immediately into her wolf form, curling up as small as she could.  From up above her she could hear someone—most likely Ignis—whispering “ _Madison_ ,” and a set of footsteps coming closer.  She whined quietly, even more fear spreading from her.

To her surprise, another whine answered her.  She glanced up shyly to see a medium black wolf with blue eyes slowly padding towards her.  She tried to back away, but another wolf, this one blond, appeared behind her and kept her in place with its tail.  Noctis slowly made his way forwards, stopping every few seconds to stare at Madison and make sure she didn’t panic any further. 

When Noctis reached her, he rested his head on top of hers and growled softly.  Madison whimpered, ducking her head and dropping her tail between her legs.  Noctis smiled at her (or, as much as he could in his wolf form), gently nudging her head before licking her forehead.  Prompto’s tail, meanwhile, slowly swished up and down her back as he licked her shoulder.  Both Betas were still releasing the “soothe and reassure” scent, and it was slowly seeping into her mind and muddying her thoughts.  She was so out of it that she didn’t notice Noctis slowly getting to his feet and padding around her, sniffing the air around her.

It only took a few moments before he let out a whine, rearing slightly and softly pressing his paws against her right side.  Madison tried to back up, but Prompto kept her from moving.  Noctis nudged her side, keening quietly as he stared at her with large puppy—or wolf?—dog eyes.  Madison eventually dipped her head even further, slowly rolling onto her left side and revealing her stomach.  There was a large gash on her chest, stretching along the entirety of her right side.  Prompto rested his head on her shoulder, nosing her gently to distract her as Noctis pressed at the wound.  Madison let out a low keen as Noct’s paw pressed firmly against her chest, tears beginning to drip down her snout.  Noctis immediately curled up next to her, nudging her head tenderly and licking the gland on her throat.  Madison slowly began to relax as she curled up tightly between the two Betas.

Suddenly, Madison became aware of two sets of footsteps coming her way.  She froze, only resettling when Noctis and Prompto licked her gland.  She glanced up to see Ignis and Gladio making their way over, both still in their human form.  Madison’s fear scent briefly spiked, but was immediately smothered by the scents of protectiveness and reassurance that both Alphas were exuding.  Ignis immediately knelt next to her head, running his hand through her fur.  “You know that we are here to protect and take care of you, right?”

Madison nodded quickly, leaning into Ignis’s touch.  The Alpha smiled, placing a hand on her throat and covering it with his scent.  “Then will you let me see your wound…in human form?”  Madison whined, trying to move away.  Gladio, however, caught her head, resting his hand against her cheek.  She felt him reach out through the pack bond, infusing his telepathic voice with Alpha authority. “ _Shift_.”

“ _But I_ … _I’m_ -”

“ ** _Shift_**.”  Madison dipped her head, quickly submitting to Gladio’s authority.  Noctis and Prompto shifted as well, holding her up when she started to collapse.  Gladio smiled, slowly changing posistion in order to pick her up.  “Prom, Noct, can one of you grab the lights?”

“On it,” Noctis said.  He leapt to his feet, making his way to the light switch and turning it on.  Madison blinked harshly in the bright light, turning her head into Gladio’s chest.  A few seconds later she was laid down on a nearby bed, Ignis’s hand on her right shoulder and Prompto curling up on her left side.  Claws suddenly appeared on one of Ignis’s hands.  “Madison, I’m going to cut open this side of your shirt to see the wound.  Is that all right?”  Madison nodded slightly, burrowing into Prompto’s warmth beside her.  Ignis carefully ran his claws down the side of her shirt, cutting it just enough to reveal her wound while also remaining modest.  The wound was still there, slowly leaking a white-green liquid.  It was mostly straight, but had multiple divots that looked like claw marks…or…

“Are those _teeth marks_?” Noctis asked, his eyes widening.  He bent down to get a closer look, but suddenly froze, growling darkly.  “Who did this to you?”

“What do you mean, Noct?” Prompto asked.  Noctis looked back up, a glare aimed directly at Madison.  “Can’t you smell it?  There’s a different Alpha’s scent mixed in with the wound’s smell.”  Both Gladio and Ignis froze, leaning in to get their own look.  When they did, Ignis pressed a hand to her throat again.  “Tell us what happened, Madison.  We just want to help you.”  Madison tried to hold out, but Ignis wouldn’t allow her to break eye contact, running his fingers along her throat.  “ ** _Tell us_** ,” he murmured gently.  Madison quivered, letting out a quiet whine.  “ ** _Madison_**.”

“There’s, uh…umm…”  She cut off, biting her lip.  The men didn’t speak, allowing her to talk in her own time.  “I ran into another Alpha the other day…or, more accurately, he ran into me…and he knew that I’m a part of your pack…and he decided he wanted to claim me for himself.”  She cut off at the dark growls coming from all four of her packmates.

“Did he do this to you?” Prompto asked.  Madison nodded, tears slipping down her face again.  “Yeah…and he did everything he could to do it.”

“Wait…but the main way for an Alpha to try and claim another pack’s Omega is…”  Prompto cut off, staring at her in horror.  “Oh no…don’t tell me that he…that he forced himself on you?”  Madison didn’t verbally respond, choosing instead to curl more into a fetal position against Prompto’s chest.  A quiet sob came out of her, and an overwhelming amount of fear and shame began to flow throughout the room.  A tentative prod came through the pack bond.  “ _Sorry…wasn’t strong enough to…fight him off_.”  For a minute, no one responded.  Then, Gladio cleared his throat.  “When did this happen, Madison?”

“… _last night_.”  Noctis growled, running a hand through her hair before pulling her to rest against his chest.  “You should have howled for one of us, Madi; you know we would have come to help you.”

“… _I panicked, okay_?” Madson whimpered, ducking her head.  “ _I didn’t think about calling you until after it was already too late_.”  She whined quietly, shifting back into her wolf form and pawing at her lower legs.  “ _I can still feel his scent on me_ …”  Ignis grabbed her paws, glancing as he did at the crusted substance stuck to her hindquarters.  “Gladio,” Ignis murmured quietly, “I’ll take Madison and help her get cleaned up.  You, Noctis, and Prompto should work on making a small nest on the bed.”  He rolled his eyes at the confused glances Noctis and Prompto shot his way.  “When Omegas feel threatened, they feel the most safe when they are curled up in a nest that smells like their pack.  I will help Madison clean her wound and get rid of the other Alpha’s scent, and then the four of us will re-imprint her with our scents, so that no one—including her—will doubt her place in our pack again.”

Gladio smirked, reaching out and scratching under Madison’s chin.  “You see, this is why we keep you around, Specs—you’ve always got the best ideas.”  Ignis rolled his eyes, resting a hand on the scruff of Madison’s neck.  “Come along, Madison—let’s get you cleaned up.”  She shot a nervous glance at him, and he nodded.  “Yes, you can _of course_ stay in your wolf form.”  Madison quietly licked his knee before pushing to her feet and leaping down from the bed.  Ignis followed after her, nudging her with his hand towards the bathroom.  Once they arrived, Ignis turned on the hot water and helped Madison to climb in.  As she relaxed in the water, a hand ruffled her fur.  “This _will_ hurt, Madison, but once it is done the wound will not pain you anymore.”  Madison nodded, cautiously rolling onto her left side in the water and allowing Ignis access to her right side.  She whined in pain when the washcloth was first run over her chest, but Ignis calmed her with a hand on the side of her throat.  “ ** _Stay calm_** , **_Madison_**.  **_This is the only way to remove the infection from your wound, and it will not hurt forever.  Do you trust Gladio and I to take care of you_**?”  Madison nodded almost immediately, sliding her muzzle into his open hand.  The Alpha smiled, running his hand through her wet fur.  “Good—we are all here to look after you, Madison, especially Gladio and I.  I am sorry that we were not there for you last night, but you never need to worry that we will not take care of you.”  He scratched her chin, smiling as her eyes closed and her tail began to thump.  As he continued, Ignis’s Alpha bond with Gladio activated.  “ _How is she_?”

“ _She’s still uncomfortable, but she’s starting to relax_ ,” Ignis commented, starting to clean out the wound again.  “ _How are you three doing_?”

“ _We’re almost done.  By the way, don’t let Madison look for her phone.  Whoever the guy who did this to her is, he started sending her a bunch of text messages.  The texts have gotten much more vulgar, so I hid it so that she won’t see it.  She’ll probably look around for it, so keep her from noticing it._ ”

“ _Understood_ — _I’ll make sure she doesn’t.  With the amount of soothing scent that Noct and Prompto have been putting out, though, I’ll be surprised if she notices._ ”  Madison’s eyes were, in fact, rather dilated, and her scent had begun to relax from its previous panic and fear.

“ _That’s true—just keep an eye out.  I do_ not _want her seeing what that man has been sending her_.”  Gladio sighed.  “ _Let us know when you two are done_.”

“ _Understood_.”  Ignis glanced back down at Madison’s wound, which was now beginning to leak blood instead of pus.  “ _The wound is now clean, so there’s just the…last bit to take care of_.”

“ _Sounds good_ — _we’re ready whenever you two are_.”  Gladio backed out of the bond and Ignis turned back to Madison, resting a hand on her shoulder.  “Madison, I’m going to clean off the...your lower half.  Is that all right?”  Madison glanced at the wall of the bathtub, not looking at Ignis as she nodded.  “All right.  Tell me if you want me to stop.”

By the time Ignis had finished, Madison had nearly fallen asleep in the tub.  Ignis smiled, scratching under her chin.  “ ** _Wake up, Madison_**.”  Madison jolted, nearly splashing Ignis in the face.  She whined, nudging his shoulder gently.  “It’s all right, Madison.”  He grabbed a towel, pausing when he noticed her flinch.  “Is this permissible?”  Madison nodded, slowly padding forwards and sitting in front of him.  Ignis helped her dry off and then wrapped her wound, before both jumped as Gladio entered the room.  “Hey, little one.  You want to come back out with the rest of us for a while _?_ ”  Madison nodded, leaning into Gladio’s hand.  Gladio smiled, scratching behind her ears.  “Good.”  Madison sighed, glancing up at both Ignis and Gladio with slight puppy-dog eyes.  “ _Why_?”

“What do you mean, Madi?” Gladio asked, resting a hand on her back.  Madison looked away, leaning into Gladio’s warmth.  “ _I, uh_ …”  She cut off, moving her head to rest against his knee.  “… _I just don’t get why you guys like me so much sometimes.  I mean, I know that you two kinda had to get to know me since I became friends with Prompto and Noctis, but…I just don’t get why you wanted me in your pack in the first place.  I’m not strong or fast or smart or royal or anything, and_ -”

Both Gladio and Ignis growled quietly, causing Madison to freeze.  She relaxed, though when both Alphas ran their hands through her fur, exuding gentle confidence and strength.  “Of course we want you in our pack, Madi.  You’re sweet and kind, and you often keep us from getting into huge fights with each other.  You’re able to help pull Noct out of his depression when it gets too bad, and you help Iggy and I look out for the others.  Plus, you can keep up with Prompto energy-wise when the rest of us struggle, which is an amazing feat.”

“In addition,” Ignis murmured, “you are definitely smart and fast.  Your strength will come in due time, as you get older, but you’ve worked hard for the grades you’ve been getting in school, and you’re often the quickest to grasp concepts that get by us ‘old foggies’, as Prompto would say.”  Gladio rolled his eyes as Madison huffed in laughter.  Ignis smirked as her tail thumped again.  “And…” Ignis made brief eye contact with Gladio, who sighed but nodded.  “Along with all of that, Noctis and Prompto told us that when many older students at your school found out that you’re an Omega, a lot of them wanted to do…what the other Alpha did.”  Madison quivered, moving closer to Gladio as she did so and sighing quietly as the older Alpha’s hand rested on the scruff of her neck.  “There’s still quite a few Alphas who believe that female Omegas are still only good for…breeding purposes.”  Madison let out a ragged breath, grounded by Gladio’s hand.  “Noctis and Prompto had become friends with you by that point, however, and they wanted to make sure that you were protected, with how young and innocent you were.”

“By that point we had met you too, and there was no way we were going to let anyone hurt you,” Gladio continued.  “You’d become important to us by then, and we didn’t want anyone to hurt you.”  He smiled as Madison’s tail thumped and she rolled on her back.  “You’re a part of our pack, Madi, and we’re not going to let you get hurt again.”

“ _Are you guys coming out soon_?”

“ _Yeah, Noct, we’ll be there soon_.”  Gladio scratched her stomach.  “ _Come on, Madison_ — _we’ve got something for you in Noct’s room_.”  Madison glanced at him in confusion, but Gladio just smiled and inclined his head.  “Come on—you’ll like it.”  Madison slowly rolled to her feet, following Gladio and Ignis out of the bathroom.  When they re-entered Noct’s room, Madison let out a surprised bark.  Noctis and Prompto (in wolf form) were leaning against a pile of pillows and blankets that was set up on Noctis’s bed.  As soon as they noticed Madison, Prompto leapt off the bed—accidently kicking Noctis is the face as he did so—and ran towards them, gently colliding with her right shoulder.  He then began to nudge her towards the bed, smirking as she bounced alongside him.

When they arrived, Madison jumped up and curled up tightly in the middle of the bed, slowly beginning to relax as the scents of the rest of the pack reached her.  Noctis smiled, resting his head on her back and licking behind her ear.  Prompto curled up along Madison’s left side, smirking as she leaned up against him.  Two more thumps landed on the bed, and two more wolves appeared; one was dark brown and just above five feet long—Gladio—and the other was a little smaller with amber fur—Ignis.  Gladio laid down along the opening of the nest, while Ignis moved around to rest at the back.  Gladio gently nudged Madison’s head.

“ _Madison…would you be comfortable with us restoring our scent bond with you_?”  Madison froze, turning to glance at him.  “ _Not in that way, Madi_.”

“ _There’s more than one way to bond, you know,_ ” Noctis continued.  “ _You remember how we bonded with you originally, right_?”  Madison nodded, starting to relax again.  “ _We’re just going to do that again.  The stronger the scent is, the more people will recognize that you’re part of our pack, and that they shouldn’t touch you._ ”  Madison nodded again, glancing around at them all.  “ _You don’t need to ask about scent stuff, you know_ -”

“ _Of course we do_ ,” Ignis said, “ _we don’t want to do anything without your consent, especially after what you just went through_.”  Madison sighed, locking eyes with each of them before nodding.  “ _Yeah…I need it._ ”  She dipped her head, making herself as small as she could.  “ _If you pee on me, though…_ ”

“ _Oh, come on, Madi_ — _would we ever do that_?”  Madison fixed Prompto with a flat stare.  “ _Yes,_ you _would_.”

From behind them, Ignis growled.  “ ** _Stop it_** _, **you two**_.”  Prompto and Madison smirked at each other, but did grow quiet.  Prompto then pulled Madison closer to him, draping himself over her smaller frame.  “ _Let me know if I’m squishing you, okay_?”

“ _Will do_.”  Madison smiled, closing her eyes as she felt the older Beta increase his scent and wrap it around her while gently licking the gland on her throat.  He carefully nudged her injured shoulder, making sure to push his scent there the most.  Madison whimpered quietly, relaxing further into the nest.  She then let out a yelp as Prompto softly bit underneath her right ear.  “ _You okay, Madi_?”

“ _…yeah…_ ”  Madison smiled, leaning up and licking the underside of his muzzle.  Prompto let her for a few moments before slowly moving off and allowing Noctis to pull her over towards him.  Noctis slumped against her, his eyes closing as he licked the top of her head.  “ _Falling asleep there, Noct_?”

“ _No…I am tired, though_.”

“ _You always are_.”  Noctis snorted, rubbing up gently against her.  He made sure to stay off her injury, but he nosed around it all the same.  His scent was warmer and darker than Prompto’s, and Madison immediately collapsed into it.  Her heartbeat was slowing rapidly, and she rolled as close to Noctis as she could.  Noctis smirked, moving down and licking her gland.  After a few minutes, he nudged the back of her head to warn her before lightly nipping above her right ear.  “ _You all right, Madi_?”

“ _Yeah, I’m fine_.  _This is_ … _definitely helping_.”  Noctis chuckled, gently pressing his head to the top of hers.  As he pulled away, a much warmer body appeared behind her.  Ignis softly tugged her onto her back, laying gently over top of her.  He licked directly underneath her head, which caused Madison to shiver.  “ _Are you all right, Madison_?”

“ _Yeah_... _I’m…fine…_ ”  With the amount of her packmates’ scent that was in the air around her and on her, Madison could barely think.  Most of the time, a packmate’s scent was calming and comforting, and helped reassure wolves that they weren’t alone.  During scent restoration, however, the scents were so strong and thick that they muddied a person’s thoughts and could even put Omegas and lower-level Betas to sleep.  Therefore, having another Alpha aggressively force his or her scent on a non-packmate could make them sick…and even worse.

“ ** _Rest, Madison_** ,” Ignis murmured, briefly pushing himself up onto his front legs.  He nosed her head up a bit more, making sure to keep the rest of his bulk and scent wrapped around her.  “ ** _This will only hurt for a few moments_**.”  Madison nodded, barely holding back a yelp as Ignis carefully bit her neck.  Madison’s head tilted back as she let out a contented sigh.  While it _was_ painful for a couple of seconds, a pack Alpha’s bite reassured the bite-ee that they were still a part of the pack and that they would be protected and valued, and that the Alpha would always be there for them.  While Gladio was the pack’s head Alpha, Ignis was still an Alpha in his own right, and his bite meant just as much.  Ignis finally moved back, gently cleaning the wound before wrapping around her.  “ _Are you still doing all right, Madison_?”

“ _Yeah, I’m…I’m okay_.”  Ignis smiled, running one of his front legs along her side and covering her old wound.  “ _Good_.”  He stayed where he was for a minute or two before nudging her towards Gladio.  “ _Go on, little one_.”  Madison smiled, slowly rolling over until she was resting against Gladio’s side.  The older Alpha smiled, pulling her securely underneath him and nosing the top of her head.  “ _You trust us to look out for you, right, Madi_?”  Madison immediately nodded, softly nudging his head.  “ _Of course_.”

“ _And you’ll call one of us the next time you need help, right_?”  Madison glanced up at him.  “ _I…I panicked…_ ”

“ _I know_ ,” Gladio reassured, “ _and I don’t blame you for it_.  **_Next time, though, howl for one of us if you feel threatened or if you get into trouble_** _.  It’s the quickest way to let us know that you need help_.”  Madison nodded again, dipping her head even lower.  Gladio grinned, resting his head on top of hers as he tightly wrapped his scent around her.  “ _Can you smell the other Alpha’s scent anymore_?”

“ _No_ ,” Madison replied, “ _all I can pick up is your scents_.”

“ _Good_.”  Gladio shifted, raising himself a bit more until he was positioned directly above the scruff of her neck.  “ _You don’t have to worry about him again_ — _the next time he tries to approach you, the boys and I will tear his face off_.”

“ _Gladio_ …”  Madison cut off as the scents flowing around her changed, becoming much more protective and possessive.  Gladio moved to lay entirely across her back, making sure that he didn’t squish her or press too hard against her injury.  His scent had begun to shift into something more…if Madison had to guess, she would say it was something more…

_Primal_.

A few quiet thoughts flowed across the bond that seemed to say “ _This Omega is **ours**_ ” and “ ** _no other Alpha can touch her_**.”  Madison inhaled sharply as Gladio licked over the scruff of her neck before biting the bond mark he had originally left.   Madison exhaled deeply, slumping down into the nest as her packmates’ scents seemed to not only be in the air around her but somehow flowing _through_ her.  This, though she didn’t know it, was what Gladio knew would happen when he and the others restored their scent bond with her.  Scent restoration was used to fully coat a pack member in the others’ scents so that non-pack members knew not to mess with them or try to bring them into their own pack.  In order to do that, however, each packmate had to not only rub up against her but also replace their claim bites—Prompto and Noctis’s on her ear, Ignis’s on her neck, and Gladio’s, as the pack’s head Alpha, right behind her head.  It was a huge rush for the reclaimed pack member, and Madison was so swamped and comfortable in the others’ scents that she found herself beginning to fall asleep.  She tried to fight it, but she felt Gladio begin to clean the bite as his chest rumbled gently.  “ ** _Don’t fight it, Madi.  Your pack is here to guard you—go to sleep_**.”

And with that, Madison slipped into sleep.  Gladio smiled, moving so that Madison was curled up against his left side and tucked out of view of the door.  Ignis grinned from where he sat watching Noctis and Prompto goof around on the floor.  “ _She’s ours_ , _Gladio_ , _and we’re not letting her go again_.”

“ _I know_ … _I just hate the idea of another Alpha forcing himself on her like that and us not being there to protect her_.  _I don’t blame her for panicking and not howling, since she doesn’t have much training_.  _I just_ … _I just hate that she was so vulnerable and none of us were able to defend her_.”

“ _We’ll be there now, Gladio_.  _She has Noctis and Prompto at school, and we’re always there to protect her._ ”  Ignis suddenly froze, his eyes locked on Noctis and Prompto.  Both of them had snapped their heads towards the door and had stopped moving.  Noctis barked at the door as it slowly opened.  King Regis stuck his head through the door, smiling down at his son.  “Hello, Noctis.”  Noctis barked again, running over to his father and almost tackling him in a hug.  Regis chuckled, staggering back under his son’s weight.  “I was going to see if you were free, but it appeared that your pack is involved in something.”  Noctis sighed, shifting back to human.  “Yeah…Madison’s been having a rough time.”

“What happened?” Clarus asked.  He had followed Regis in, and his eyes snapped directly to his son on the bed.  Gladio sighed, gently transferring Madison to Ignis’s side.  He then padded his way over to his father, shifting to human as he did so.  “Madison had another Alpha forcibly try to steal her from our pack last night, both through biting her and…a sexual encounter.”  Regis and Clarus cursed.  “She came back here to lick her wounds and calm down by herself, since Noct is usually the one she goes to first for comfort.  We ended up having to restore our scent bond in order to get rid of the other Alpha’s scent.”

“Did she say who the other Alpha was?” Clarus asked.  Gladio shook his head, glancing back at the bed.  “No, she never said.  I didn’t want to ask her either, with how skittish and scared she was.”  He glanced back at Ignis, nodding.  “Good point, Ignis.”  He walked over to a nearby end table, opening the drawer and pulling out a red phone.  “Whoever it is has been sending Madison incredibly vulgar texts.  She hasn’t seen them—and I want to keep it that way—but I haven’t had a chance to look into who’s been sending them.”  Clarus nodded, taking the phone.  “I’ll have the Crownsguard look into it right away,” he said.

Regis cleared his throat, causing both Clarus and Gladio to glance over at him.  “May I?” he asked, inclining his head towards Madison.  Gladio sighed, glancing at each of his packmates before nodding.  “Yeah.”

Regis nodded, resting a hand on Gladio’s shoulder.  “Don’t worry, Gladio, I’m not going to hurt her.”

“I know that, Your Majesty,” Gladio said, sighing again, “but we’re all a bit…on edge…right now.”

“That’s understandable,” Clarus replied, “an attack on your pack is always rough.”  As Regis slowly moved towards the bed, Clarus pulled his son into a one-armed hug.  “Even though you’re not a part of my pack anymore, I’m still there for you no matter what.  Regis and I will look into this, and make sure that this guy doesn’t go after your Omega ever again.”  Gladio exhaled deeply, smiling at his father.  “Thanks, Dad.”  Both men made their way to the bed, joined by Prompto—in human form—as Regis carefully moved the bandages to see Madison’s wound.  He cursed, moving slightly closer.  “Clarus, come look at this.”  Clarus’s eyes narrowed as he walked closer.  “What is it, Regis?”

“Does this bite look familiar to you?”  Regis gestured at Madison’s wound, causing her to start to stir.  She briefly began to panic, but Noctis hopped up on the bed and rubbed her side.  “It’s okay, Madi.  It’s just my dad and Gladio’s dad.”  Madison glanced up, blinking owlishly.  “… _have almost same scents_ ,” she murmured.

Noctis nodded.  “Yeah, we should—they’re where we came from.”  His hand swung up to her throat, ghosting over her gland.  “They’re going to help stop the Alpha who came after you.”  Madison froze, but Ignis gently nudged her head.  When she locked eyes with him, he smiled.  “ ** _Our Omega_** _, remember_?”  Madison nodded, easing enough for Regis to touch and examine her wound.  “See these marks here?  They’re made when someone bites a person…and then shifts position and bites again.”  He locked eyes with Clarus.  “Who do we know that leaves bite marks like that?”

“You know who might have done this?” Prompto asked.  Regis and Clarus nodded, cursing quietly.  “We know someone our age who left marks like that,” Clarus said.  “Regis nearly murdered him after he tried to claim Aulea.”

“Wait— _what_?” Noctis asked, his eyes widening.  Regis nodded, resting a hand on his son’s shoulder.  “Nothing happened, of course, but he certainly tried.  Clarus got rid of him before I could do too much, and he also made sure that everyone made sure not to touch your mother again.  The last I heard…”  Regis sighed, moving backwards slightly.  “The last I heard, Calvin had had a son…and he was training his son to act in the same way.”

“If Calvin’s son is going after her…”  Clarus growled, clenching his hand around Madison’s phone.  “We need to track him down.”  Regis nodded, gently pulling the bandage back over Madison’s wound before rising to his feet.  He then glanced at Noctis and Prompto.  “Do you two know anyone at school with the last name of Howard?  He’d be about your age, maybe a year older.”

“Um…”  Suddenly, Prompto froze.  “Wait a minute—didn’t Emily, that Beta Madi’s friends with, say that an upperclassman named Max Howard has been trying to approach her?”  Gladio, Ignis, and Noctis growled.  “That’s right, she did.”  Clarus nodded, resting a hand on Gladio’s shoulder.  “You stay here and help Madison.  We’ll go track down Calvin and Max and see what we can find.”

And with that, Regis and Clarus left the room.  Gladio turned back towards the bed, resting a hand on Madison’s ankle.  He smiled as Madison curled up further around Ignis, shivering softly.  “ _You should go to sleep again_ , _Madison._ ”

“ _I’m not that tired_ …”  Gladio’s eyes narrowed, and he carefully aimed his full Alpha scent her way.  “ _You’ve just been attacked by a foreign Alpha_ , _Madi, and gone through a full scent restoration.  Even I would need to rest after that._ ”  He made his way to her throat, gently stroking her now-swollen gland.  “ _You’ve been through a lot in the last few days_ , _and the best way for you to recover is to stay here with us._ ”

“But…” Madison shifted back, speaking hoarsely after so long in wolf form.  “But this is Noct’s room.”

“So?” Noctis asked, smirking as he laid down next to her.  “I don’t mind sharing.  Plus, it’ll allow you to stay near to one of us.”  Gladio leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.  “ **Sleep** , **Madison**.  **You are safe here with us**.”

And a few seconds later, Madison did just that.

***

“ _Come on, little one_ — _time to get up_.”  Madison groaned, rolling onto her side.  A chuckle came from above her, and a gentle hand rested on her cheek.  “ _Come on, Madi_.  _We need to get ready for school_.”  Madison’s eyes blinked open, and she swatted upward at whoever was shaking her.  “School…schmool.”

A wet nose nudged her hand.  “ _Sorry about this, Madi_ …”  A warm tongue swiped over her face, and Madison jumped off the bed.  “ _What the…how the…what_ …”

“ _Easy, Madi_.”  Noctis sat in front of her, smirking as much as he could in wolf form.  “ _Sorry, but Iggy wanted me to wake you up_.”

“ _Iggy_?”

“ _Yes, Madison_.”  Madison jumped again.  “ _I usually stop by in the mornings to make sure Noct has actually woken up for school_.  _As you know, given the opportunity, our wayward Highness here would sleep forever_.”

“ _Come on_ , _Iggy_ …”  Madison smirked, gently scratching behind Noctis’ ears.  Noctis’ tail thumped on the bed, and he nosed along the gland on her wrist.  “ _Come on, Madi_ — _the sooner we get ready, the sooner we can get coffee._ ”  Madison smiled, pushing to her feet.

Then, she froze.

“ _Noct…I don’t have any of my school things with me_ …”  Noctis smiled, shifting back.  “Don’t worry, Prom’s going to stop by your house on his way to school.  He also said that Emily texted and wanted to meet up once we get to school.”

Madison smiled.  “Sounds good,” she said.  “Can I use your bathroom?”

“Sure; it’s down the hall on the right.”  Madison nodded, ducking into the bathroom as Noctis finished getting changed.  “WHY IS YOUR BATHROOM SO BIG?”

“I’m the prince, Madi.”

“Still…this is probably as big as my family’s apartment.”  Noctis leaned against the doorframe, waiting for Madison to come out of the room.  Once she did, he gently wrapped his hand around her wrist and kept her from walking away. “Why have we never been over to your place?”

Madison blushed, trying to avoid meeting his eyes.  “Well…partially because my parents don’t necessarily like that I’m a part of your pack…and also because I live in the, uh, not-so-good portion of Insomnia.”

“Like, where Prom lives?”

“Yeah, just further inside than he does.”

Noctis nodded.  “Makes sense.  You usually end up spending time with Prompto when the rest of us get busy with royal stuff, so I figured you’d live close to him.”  He pulled Madison closer to him, rubbing his jaw over the top of her head.  “Come on; Ignis probably has breakfast ready by now.”

“Indeed.”  Both Noctis and Madison jumped at the voice from behind them.  Ignis was standing at the other end of the hall with his arms crossed and a smirk spreading across his face.  “It has been ready for some time.”

“Oops…sorry, Specs,” Noctis said.  Ignis rolled his eyes, beckoning towards the living room.  “This way—I assume the two of you would like to actually eat before you leave for school.”

“Yes, please,” Madison murmured.  Noctis smiled, rubbing her wrist with his thumb as he pulled her down the hallway.  As they entered the living room, Prompto glanced up from one of the two large couches.  “Hey.”

“How long have you been here?” Madison asked.  Prompto smiled, rising to his feet and pulling her into a hug.  “I got here a half an hour or so ago.”  He briefly turned to the couch, grabbing a backpack.  “I hope I grabbed everything; I had to text Emily to double-check what stuff you would need.”

“Thanks, Prompto—I’m sure you grabbed everything,” Madison said.  She rifled through the bag for a quick moment before nodding.  “Yep, everything I need is in here.”

“Good.”

Ignis cleared his throat.  “You do realize that you have forty-five minutes before you need to be at school, correct?  And that it takes longer to get there from the Citadel than it does from your apartment?”

“Right, sorry,” Noctis said, dragging both Madison and Prompto toward the table.  “Come on, Madi—you haven’t tasted the best omelet ever until you’ve had one of Ignis’s.”

“Come now, they’re nothing special,” Ignis argued, hiding his smirk behind his hand as he watched Prompto mouth “ _Yes they are_!” to Madison, who let out a quiet giggle in response.  Noctis ruffled her hair, dumping some of his veggies on her plate when she wasn’t looking.  “They’re definitely better than anything we can cook.”

“That’s because you tend to burn the _pan_ as well as the eggs,” Ignis teased.  Noctis rolled his eyes, smirking at Madison.  “ _Specs didn’t need that pan anyways_ ,” he whispered.

***

A half-hour later, all three arrived at school.  Madison pulled her coat a bit further around her, glancing down the hallway.  “Where is she?”

“She’ll be here soon, I’m sure,” Prompto said, resting a hand on her back.  “Emily’s not known for being late to things.”  Madison nodded, briefly pulling out her phone to check for a text before replacing it in her pocket.  “Hopefully she gets here soon…I want to make sure to say hi to her before she gets thrown into detention.  _Again_.”

“Does she get detention a lot?”

“A _lot_ more then you might think.”

“Are you talking about me?”  Madison gasped, turning and darting at her friend.  Emily smiled, letting out a quiet grunt as Madison nearly tackled her in a hug.  “Hey, Madi—how are you doing?”  Madison shrugged, smiling shyly.  “I’m okay.  I’m tired and a bit stressed, but I’m okay.”  Emily nodded, resting a warm hand on her back and waving at Noctis and Prompto as they walked up.  “Hey, guys.”  Both boys smiled as they approached.  Emily bit her lip, immediately noting the protective scents they were giving off.  They seemed to be fine with her hugging Madison, though, so Emily just went with it.  “You keeping an eye on this little troublemaker for me?”

Madison smacked the older girl upside the head, ignoring Noctis and Prompto’s chuckles.  “Says the girl who got _thirty_ different detentions in _three_ straight months.  I have _perfect_ attendance and records, I’ll have you know.”

A few seconds later, the bell began to ring.  All four groaned, covering their ears.  “Why is that so _loud_?” Prompto whined.  Noctis laughed, nudging him in the ribs.  Emily pulled Madison into a side hug, smirking at the boys before squeezing Madison’s shoulder.  “What class do you have next?”

“I’ve got my English class…which happens to be right there,” Madison said, pointing towards a nearby room.  “I should probably head in there now, actually…my teacher doesn’t like it when we’re late.”

“Well, I’ll see you when you get out, then,” Emily said, giving her another light hug.  Madison moved to hug Prompto and Noctis, who both pressed a kiss to her forehead.  “Have fun,” Noctis grinned, “and don’t fall asleep.”

“Noct… _you’re_ the one who does that,” Madison groaned, rolling her eyes.  She waved at them, smiling shyly, before heading into her classroom.  Once she left the hall, Emily turned to Noctis and Prompto.  “All right, what’s up with you two?  I can tell your scents are going nuts, and I’m not even a part of your pack.”  Noctis and Prompto sighed, glancing around the hall before pulling her over to the side.  “You know how you were saying that Max Howard was trying to approach Madi?”

“Yeah, and he was getting somewhat inappropriate with it,” Emily agreed.  “I kept driving him off, but…”  She cut off at the dark scowls spreading across both of their faces.  “What happened?”

“Did you hear much of what happened?” Prompto asked.  Emily nodded, crossing her arms.  “I heard some of what happened,” she said, “but only what Madison felt comfortable enough with texting me the other day.  I didn’t want to push her to say anything beyond that.”  Noctis sighed, shifting from foot to foot for a few seconds.  “The other night, Max…last night, Max ended up running into Madi when she was by herself and tried to claim her.  He managed to bite her a couple of times on her right side, and he…he sexually assaulted her.”  Emily growled, looking as if she wanted to go chase Max Howard down right then and there.  “Don’t worry, Emily, we re-scented her as soon as we found out.”

“I can’t believe she was in that situation in the first place,” Emily sighed.  “I should have checked in with her after she left school.”

“It’s not your fault, Emily,” Prompto said, “none of us are able to spend every moment with her.”  He sighed.  “We should have been the first to notice through the bond.”  He glanced at Noctis.  “I’m still not sure how we didn’t notice.”

“We got busy last night with training and royal stuff,” Noctis said, “and we completely forgot about her.”  He growled.  “I can’t believe that we forgot about our own Omega…that’s the worst thing you can possibly do.”

“Well, at least we know now, and can help her with the aftermath,” Emily said.  She glanced around the hall, running a hand through her hair.  “The next time I see Max Howard…”

“Gladio’s dad is looking into Max and his dad,” Noctis said.  “Hopefully he won’t come near Madison again, but if he does we’ll kick his butt.”  All three jumped as the bell went off.  “Owh—I hate that bell,” Prompto growled.  “It’s like they chose that tone _just_ to aggravate our hearing.”

Noctis chuckled, gently nudging Prompto in the shoulder.  “Or maybe just _your_ hearing, you dork.”  Prompto grumbled, glaring at Noctis.  Emily grinned, pulling her backpack further over her shoulders.  “I have to get to class, but I’ll check in with Emily when I get the chance.”

“We’re gonna drag her over to my place after school,” Noctis said, “but I know she’s definitely going to be free tomorrow.”

“Good to know.”  Emily pulled both Noctis and Prompto into a side hug before starting for her class room.  “I’ll check in with you later!”

***

For the next few days, Madison stayed as far away as she could from Max Howard, staying as near one of her packmates or Emily as she could.  She spent as little time as she could at home, which caused her parents to get rather angry.  “Why are you spending so much time away from home?” her mother demanded.  “We need to know where you are at all times so that we can keep an eye on you.”

“I’m spending time with my pack, mom,” Madison replied, “it’s not like I’m off playing hooky or something.”

“The pack that you joined without our knowledge or _approval_ ,” her father replied.  “We don’t know anything about those men or why they wanted you as their omega.”

“They’re my friends, dad, and they’re good people.  They wanted me as their omega because I’m their friend, not for anything else.”  She glared at them.  “Noctis and Prompto look out for me at school and help me have fun, Ignis helps me with my homework and is teaching me how to cook some easy things, and Gladio is helping me learn how to defend myself.  I know it was without your approval, but I don’t need your approval to join a pack—it’s my choice.”  She stormed out of her house, running until she arrived at Prompto’s house.  Prompto was outside, and he smiled as Madison sat down next to him and curled against his side.  “You okay, Mads?”

“My parents aren’t happy that I joined Noct’s pack without their approval,” Madison grumbled, “and they’re mad that I’m spending so much time with you guys.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I reminded them that it was my choice to join Noct’s pack, and how much you guys are helping me with stuff.  I think they expected that they would be choosing my pack for me or something.”

“Why would they choose your pack for you?”

“I dunno…they like to keep an extremely close eye on me and make sure I’m doing exactly what they want me to, so they would want to pick a pack that allies with what they think I should be doing.”  Prompto nodded, pulling her into a hug and running a hand over the scent gland on her wrist.  “Don’t worry, Madi—your parents will never take you away from our pack.  We won’t let them.”

“I know—and I’m not letting them make me leave.”  Prompto smiled, gently nuzzling the top of her head before pulling her to her feet.  “Come on; Gladio said the chocobos at the Citadel just had their babies and that they’re super cute.  You wanna see?”

“Baby chocobos?  _OMIGOSH YES_!”  Madison laughed, chasing after Prompto as he darted off.

***

A few days later, Madison was getting her books out of her locker at the end of the day.  She was heading over to Noctis’ apartment after school, so she had to hurry to meet Ignis outside.  She had just zipped up her backpack and closed her locker when a noise came from behind her.

Madison froze, biting her lip as she turned around.  A large pack of upper-classmen Betas was standing behind her, sneering at her.  Most of them were a good foot taller than her, and their scents were going haywire.  Madison took a couple of shaky breaths, a command from Gladio suddenly appearing in her head: “ ** _Next time, though, howl for one of us if you feel threatened or if you get into trouble_**.”  She took another small breath before shifting to her wolf form and letting out a quiet howl.

“Now, now…why are you doing that?”  Madison’s heart dropped as a voice—and rancid Alpha scent—came from behind her.  She shifted back and slowly turned around, not making eye contact.  “…because I need my pack’s help.”  Max laughed, starting to take steps towards her and push his scent around her.  “What are you talking about, omega?  You’re a part of my pack, not that royal brat’s.”

“…no I’m not,” Madison muttered.  “I’m still a part of Noctis’s pack, and I always will be.”  She finally found the courage to make eye contact with Max, only to take a step back as he snarled at her.  “You really think so?  After the way I went and claimed you?  I’d be surprised if that beta runt and his friends ever want to see you again.  After all, you never howled for them; you just let it happen.”  Madison froze again, allowing Max to get a few steps closer.  He smirked, brushing across her cheek with his fingers.  “You wanted me then…and you still want me now.”

“ _Get away from me_!” Madison yelled, blindly striking out.  Max hissed, four lines of blood sliding down his face.  He wiped his face before turning back towards Madison.  “You will _pay_ for that,” he growled, stalking towards her.  Madison tried to back away, but before she could get too far, Max reached out and slapped her in the face.  Madison staggered, ending up tripping and falling to the ground.  Before Max could get much closer, however, a weight plowed into him from behind and knocked him down.  Madison jumped, only settling down once she recognized the scent of the newcomers.  “… _Noct_?”

“ _Yeah, it’s us.  Can you get to your feet_?”

“… _yeah_.”  Madison slowly pushed to her feet, buoyed by Noct’s arm around her waist.  The older Beta wrapped her into his side.  “You have no power over her, Max.  You tried to claim her and force her to become your omega, but she’s ours, and we’re never letting her go.”

“I claimed her, you moron-”

“You tried to, but you weren’t able to break her bond with us,” Prompto snarled.  “We fully refreshed that bond and fully claimed her, and you’re not going to get near her ever again.”  He ducked under Max’s swinging arm and made his way to Noctis and Madison.  “Your scent is rancid to her now, and she will _never go near you again_.”

“Plus,” Noctis joined in, smirking at Max, “you have no pack bond with her.  Only we do.”  Madison reached out through the bond almost instantly, just to verify that it was still there.  Gentle reassurances immediately flowed through.  “ _Breathe, Madi.  You’re still ours, and you will be safe._ ”  Madison sighed, leaning into Noctis’s warmth a little more.  A gentle kiss brushed across her temple as both Betas scented her.  “We’re leaving.  Come on, Prompto.” 

By the time they left the school, Ignis had already parked the car and come to wait outside.  “What happened?” he asked.

“Max cornered her,” Prompto explained.  “Madi scratched him across the face, though.”  Madison blushed as Ignis ruffled her hair.  “Good for you, Madison.  He deserves it.”

“Oh, um…thanks?” Madison blushed, glancing down at the ground.  Ignis smiled, leading her to the car and helping her inside.  She almost immediately curled up against Prompto, sighing quietly as he pressed a gentle kiss to her scent gland.  Noctis ran his fingers over the other gland on her wrist.  “Gladio will be proud,” Prompto said, smiling at her.  “You were able to kick the butt of the Alpha who sexually assaulted you and hurt him pretty bad.  He’s not going to bother you for a long time.”

“I hope not,” Madison murmured, closing her eyes.  “I can’t stand that idiot.”  Her friends chuckled quietly, Noctis gently squeezing her wrist.  “Don’t worry, Madi—we can’t either.”

***

Gladio opened the door to Noctis’s apartment, sighing quietly as the scents of his packmates flowed by him.  All of them seemed to be doing fine…though Madison was blushing vividly.  “You were protecting yourself, Madi; no one at school will get annoyed with you,” Noctis said, ruffling her hair.

“What happened at school?” Gladio asked, closing the door and walking into the living room.  Madison froze, sliding down behind the couch cushions as Noctis and Prompto laughed.  Ignis rolled his eyes, patting Gladio on the back.  “After school, Madison was confronted by Max Howard, and ended up scratching him across the face.”

“She even drew blood,” Noctis said, smirking at Madison.  She, in turn, squeaked in surprise as Gladio plopped down on the couch next to her and gently pulled her over so that her head was resting on his lap.  “ **Good** **job** , **Madi**.”

“…thanks.”  Madison briefly tried to get up, but Gladio’s arms kept her where she was.  “I…I should probably try and get some homework done.  If I have any more late assignments my teachers will kill me.”

“What homework do you need to do?” Ignis asked.

“I’ve got some reading to do, and then a couple of assignments in each of my other classes.”

“Well, you can do your reading like that,” Ignis continued, “and you can work on your other assignments later.  I can help you if you wish.”  Madison blushed, nodding quickly.  “Thanks, Ignis—I’d appreciate it.”  Ignis smiled, running a hand through her hair.  Madison then let out a yelp as Prompto dropped his head into _her_ lap and passed her a book.  “Is this the right one?”

“Yeah, thanks.”  Madison moved a little to get comfortable before opening the book and starting to read.  Prompto and Noctis had shifted, and were chasing each other around the room.  Ignis smiled, reaching down and ruffling Madison’s hair.  “ **You did well today** , **Madison**.”

“Oh…thanks, Ignis.”  Madison blushed, curling into Gladio’s grip a bit more.  The Alphas smiled, both relaxing as they watched their pack enjoy themselves.  A few seconds later, Gladio’s phone went off.  He pulled it out, letting out a quiet sigh as he read the message.  “Dad and King Regis tracked down Max’s dad and are having the Crownsguard look into him right now.  They apparently don’t have enough to convict him right now, but Dad’s optimistic they’ll find enough evidence soon.”

Gladio looked over at Madison, who was glancing at him in confusion.  “He and King Regis have to find enough evidence for the council to convict them, since the majority of the council are alphas.  As long as they find enough evidence and can prove to the council that Max’s dad taught his son to abuse and assault omegas and that Max assaulted you, he’ll get stuck in jail for something and Max will be brought up on charges of assault.  I mean, he was going to be anyways, but, like, super aggravated assault, along with everything else.”  Madison sighed, relaxing further into Gladio’s lap.  “Good...I hope he _never_ gets out.”  A hand began to run through her hair, and a gentle kiss brushed against her forehead.  “If we have anything to say about it, he won’t,” Noctis said, running a hand along her ankle.

For the rest of the day, Madison stayed at Noctis’s apartment and worked on homework.  She drifted off to sleep several times due to the overabundance of pack scents, but none of the others mentioned it.  Instead, they picked up immediately where they left off, making sure that she, Noctis, and Prompto finished all their homework.  Once they did, Prompto kept Noctis company while he worked on reports.  Madison went home after dinner, Ignis _not_ -so-subtly convincing her to allow him to give her a ride home.  “After all, **_no one_ wants a repeat of what happened last time**,” he said, sneakily pressing a thumb into the gland on her throat.  The Alphaic command and pressure to her gland caused Madison to agree almost instantly, and she additionally promised to text Noctis as soon as she arrived at her house.

As he pulled the car up outside her house, Ignis turned to Madison.  “Let us know if anything happens to you this evening or tomorrow, understood?  **One or more of us will come and help immediately if you need us**.”

Madison nodded.  “I will, I promise.  I don’t think anything will happen, but…”  She suddenly cut off.  “I just realized…I never actually thanked you guys for all that you’ve done for me the last couple of weeks or so.  I, uh…”  Tears began to slide down her cheeks, and she tried to glance away.  She let out a quiet mewl, however, when Ignis pushed the hand-rest of the Regalia’s driver seat up and pulled her into a gentle and strong embrace.  “You don’t need to thank us, Madison; we were happy to do it.  You mean more than you know to all four of us, and we would do anything and everything we can to keep you safe.”  He gently rubbed his jaw over the top of her head before pressing a kiss to her temple.  “You will go far in this life, Madison, and we will be there with you every step of the way.”  Madison choked on a sob, curling closer into him.  Ignis smiled, gently running his thumb over his bond mark at the base of her throat.  “Get some rest, Madison.”

Madison nodded, slowly untangling herself from the embrace before getting out of the car.  She shyly waved to Ignis before climbing the steps and heading into her house.  A small amount of noise came from what appeared to be the living room, but Madison soon murmured, “ _I’m in my room_.”

“ _Good.  Make sure you remember to text Noctis_.”

“ _Doing that now_.  _Thanks for the ride, by the way_.”

“ _You are more than welcome_.  _Now get some rest, and I will see you soon_.”  She felt the bond begin to stretch as Ignis drove away.  She sighed, quickly taking a shower and going to bed.  “ _Thankfully_ _we don’t have that much to do at school tomorrow_ … _hopefully it’ll go by rather fast_.”

Unfortunately…it definitely _didn’t_.

***

“ _Noctis_?”

No response.

“ _Noct_?”

“ _What_?”

“ _Can we go home now_?” Madison whispered.

A nearby teacher cleared his throat, and Madison stiffened.  She, Noctis, and Prompto were sitting in the back of the school’s auditorium and waiting for an ‘informative’ assembly at the end of the day to finish.  They had been sitting there for over an hour already, so they were _incredibly_ bored.  Prompto was barely holding himself back from sprinting out of the room and running down the street.  “Unfortunately, no…we’ve still got another twenty-five minutes or so to go,” Noctis replied.  Prompto and Madison groaned, leaning against either of Noctis’s sides. (For some unknown reason, Noctis was one of the warmest people in all Lucis, and Prompto and Madison were almost always cold.  Gladio was the absolute warmest, but Noctis was an appropriate substitute.)  “ _Why do we even have to be here_?”

“ _Because the teachers all know you like to ditch, Prom, and are watching you, I have to go or I’ll get told off by Ignis, and…I dunno about Madi, but I’m sure she has to be here too._ ”

“ _All freshmen have to go_ — _we’re required to_.”  Madison growled, Noctis’s hand immediately slipping into her hair.  “ _Relax, Madi_.  _We’ll be out of here soon_ , _and you and Prom can roughhouse to your heart’s content_.  _Maybe Ignis will even let you chase down a squirrel or two_.”  Madison elbowed him in the ribs, but she _also_ leaned in closer to his side, which caused Noctis to smile. 

Suddenly, however, Noctis, Prompto, and Madison’s phones all buzzed.  The three glanced at each other in confusion before Prompto pulled out his phone.  “ _It’s a text from Gladio_ ,” he said.  “ _He and Iggy have been at the Citadel all day_ , _and they, your dad, and Gladio’s dad want us to head up there after school_.”

“ _Is Ignis driving us_?”

“ _No, we’re just going to run up there._ ”  Prompto smirked.  “ _You’re definitely going to beat us there, Madi_ — _Noct is **super** slow_.”  Noctis growled, glaring at his friends as they laughed at him.  “ _Shut up, you two_.”

“ _Did he say why they want us_?”

“ _Not entirely_ , _but from the_ … _aloofness of the message_ , _I think it’s something about Max._ ”  Madison froze, whimpering quietly.  The teacher walking nearby seemingly heard her, as he turned and began to make his way towards them.  Noctis waved him off, mouthing, “ _It’s nothing_.”  The teacher clearly didn’t believe them, but he ended up backing away.  Noctis turned back to see Madison curling up against Prompto’s side.  Prompto smiled, glancing around before brushing his lips against her throat.  “Don’t worry about him, Madi.  If Noctis and Gladio’s dads are wanting to see us, I think they’ve caught Max and his dad.”

“I’ll text Ignis back and let him know we’ll be on our way soon,” Noctis replied, pulling out his phone.  “I wish there was a way we could just sneak out of this assembly.”

“There’s, like, six teachers patrolling this area, Noct,” Madison said, “I don’t think we’d get very far.”  She sighed, stretching out as much as she could.  “Plus, freshmen are required to stay for the entire length of every assembly…something to do with some ‘enrichment’ program or something.”  Noctis ran his hand through her hair again, grinning as she immediately began to purr.  “They didn’t have that when we were freshmen.”

“Well then, _lucky you_.”

***

After twenty more agonizing minutes, the assembly was finished.  Noctis, Prompto, and Madison immediately darted out of the gym, shifting as soon as they could.  Prompto and Madison were faster than Noctis, leaving him behind within moments.  “ _Slow down, guys._ ”

“ _Come on, Noct_ — _you can move faster than that_!”

“ _When I get my hands on you_ , _Prom_ …”

“ _You’ll have to catch me first_!”  Noctis growled, glaring at Prompto.  Madison smirked, sticking out her tongue.  “ _Neither of you can catch **me**_!”

“ _Oh_ _really_?” Prompto asked, charging at her.  Madison grinned, dodging each of his lunges.  She was eventually tackled by Noctis, however, who had crept up behind her while she was avoiding Prompto.  Noctis laid over top of her and nosed the back of her head.  “ _Noct_ , _get off me_.”

“ _Nope_.”

Madison shuddered, starting to whine.  “ _Noct_ , _get off of me_ , **_now_**.”  The scent of panic spread through the air and Madison shrunk underneath him.  Prompto nudged Noctis with his front paws, pushing the older Beta off Madison.  “ _Dude_ — _she’s freaking out_.”

“ _Sorry_ ,” Madison whimpered, looking away.  “ _Max_ , _uh_ … _he jumped on me from behind when he…you know_.”  She glanced at the ground, refusing to look up at her friends.  A quiet whimper caught her attention, however, and she finally looked up to see Noctis slowly moving towards her, purposefully staying lower than her.  Madison gulped.  “ _Noct_ …”

“ _I shouldn’t have jumped on you like that, Madison_ -”

“ _It’s okay, Noct…you didn’t know about it_.”  Noctis sighed, finally getting close enough to lean his head on her shoulder.  “ _I still shouldn’t have, though_.  _You’ve been a lot jumpier recently when people are behind you, and I should have remembered that_.”

“ _It’s okay_ , _Noct_.”  Madison smiled, gently nudging the side of his head.  “ _I should have expected you or Prom to be back there.  I’m a bit jumpy, but that shouldn’t mean that I freak out if someone touches me from behind_.”  She smiled, glancing at the ground.  “ _I forgive you, though_.”

Noctis smiled, gently licking her ear.  “ _Good.  Come on_ — _I’m sure Ignis and the others are waiting for us._ ”  Prompto nodded, buffeting them from the other side.  Madison smiled, leaning as much as she could into their warmth.

It took about ten minutes, but the trio finally came within the limits of their pack bond.  The familiar “ _click_ ” echoed, and then Gladio’s voice appeared.  “ _Are you on the way_?”

“ _Yeah, we’re in the middle of downtown, so we’ll be there within ten minutes_.”

“ _Good_.   _Your dad and mine picked up Calvin and Max_ , _but they want to wait for Madi before they make any decisions._ ”

“ _They…want to wait for me_?”

“ _Of course, little one_ ,” Ignis replied.  “ _Calvin may have gone after Noctis’ mother, but Max went after **you**.  They want to see what truly happened to you._ ”

“ _They want **me** to show them **that**_?”

“ _Yes, of course._   _You were the one he assaulted, after all._ ”  Madison gulped, glancing up at Noctis and Prompto.  “ _I don’t know_ … _if I can_ …”

“ _Of course you can_ , _Madison_.  _We all know you can_.”  As Ignis spoke Prompto grinned, running his tail up and down her back.  “ _See, Mads_?  _If Ignis says it’s true_ , _then you know it’s true_.”

“ _Are you guys near the Citadel yet_?”

“ _Yeah, Gladio, we’re on the outskirts now.  We’ll be in the throne room in about twenty minutes_.”

“ _Good.  I’ll meet you down there_.”  And with that, Gladio and Ignis backed out of the bond.  Noctis, Prompto, and Madison continued to make their way to the main floor of the Citadel.  As they did, they all shifted back into human form.  This allowed them to travel much faster, as everyone who may not have recognized Noctis in his wolf form recognized him in his human form.  They arrived at the main floor within fifteen minutes to see Gladio waiting for them.  “Good, you’re here.  Come on—my dad and King Regis are waiting.”

Madison gulped as they walked.  “I’ve never talked to your dad, Noct…”

“Yes you have, Madi.  Or, at least, you’ve been in the same room as him,” Prompto replied.  Madison looked at him in confusion.  “What do you mean?”

“Noct’s dad came by with Gladio’s the night you told us about Max attacking you,” Prompto responded, ruffling her hair.  “You were out of it, so I’m not surprised you don’t remember.”

“I kinda remember it…but not that well.”

“Don’t worry,” Gladio said, resting a hand on top of her head, “you’ll do just fine.  Both of our dads like you, so…”  He grinned at Madison’s shy smile.  “You’ll be fine.”

***

They quickly made their way up the stairs to the throne room, meeting Ignis at the top.  “Are we ready?”

Madison shook her head, rocking back on her heels.  “No…I’m not ready.”  Prompto squeezed her shoulder, smiling gently at her.  “Relax, Madi, you’ll be fine.  Noct and Gladio’s dads aren’t that scary, and I know they like you, since you’re part of our pack.”  His hand subtly slid into hers.  “Trust us—you’ll be all right.”  Madison bit her lip, gradually relaxing at the protective and reassuring scents of her pack.  Finally, she nodded.  Ignis smiled, squeezing her shoulder.  “Good—let’s go.”  He pushed the door open, leading the others into the throne room.

At their entrance, four heads at the other side of the room turned towards them.  Two of the men she recognized, one she didn’t, and one…

Madison froze, unable to hold back a whimper at the sight of Max.  The older Alpha sneered, crossing his arms.  He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Clarus glared at him.  “Do _not_ speak to her.”

Regis smiled, beckoning them closer.  “Come in, young one.”  Madison slowly moved closer, encouraged by both Regis and Clarus’s smiles.  “It is good to see you again, Madison.  How is your wound doing?”

“Um…it’s healed well since that day, sir,” Madison said, glancing down and scuffing her foot against the ground.  “It’s healed almost as well as my other one.”

“Other one?  Was that also inflicted by Max Howard?” Clarus asked, his eyes narrowing.  Madison shook her head.  “No, sir, uh…some of the other alphas and betas at my school took exception to me and kinda, uh…shoved me into a water fountain.  That’s when I first met Noctis and Prompto.”  A large and calloused hand slipped under her chin, lifting her head to see the King’s Shield smiling at her.  “Breathe Madison, you’re not in trouble.  We just want to make sure you’re safe.”

“You always did have a bleeding heart, Amicita-”

“And you’ve never had one, Howard, so _shut up_.”  Clarus glanced back at Madison, who was biting her lip again.  “I hate to make you relive this, young one, but we need you to tell us what happened that night.”  Madison’s eyes briefly darted towards Max, but they returned when Gladio rested a hand on her shoulder.  “ ** _He can’t hurt you anymore_** ,” he whispered.  “ ** _Don’t be afraid to tell my dad and the king what happened_**.”  Madison took a deep breath and let it out before nodding.  “Okay.”

“Good.”  Clarus let go of her chin and moved back a little, staying near enough to be comforting.  His and Regis’ scents weren’t the same as Gladio and Noctis’, but they were close enough to further help Madison relax.  “I, um…I was leaving school that day.  It was later than I normally left, but I had a thespian club meeting, so I got out later.  I was originally going to go straight home and do homework, but…”

“Where is home for you?” Regis asked.

“Um, it’s near Prompto’s house…but further in the…not as desirable part of Insomnia.”  Madison blushed.  “I was most of the way home when _he_ jumped out from behind a bush.”

“ _Him_ being Max Howard?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.  He had been approaching me in school a lot and trying to get me to join his pack, but I told him no every time, since I’m a part of Noct’s pack.  When he jumped out of the bushes he tackled me to the ground and said that since I’d refused to be a part of his pack for so long for no reason, he was going to _make_ me join…and do it in such a way that Noct and the others wouldn’t want to be near me ever again.  Then, he, uh…”  She blushed, looking down at the ground.  Clarus slipped his hand under her chin and raised her head again.  “He assaulted you sexually, correct?”

“…yes, sir.”

Max scoffed, crossing his arms.  “You’re really going to listen to an _omega_ over an alpha?  Shows how low the government has gotten these days.”

“ _Be quiet_ ,” Regis growled.  “Omegas have just as many rights as alphas and betas, and you need to remember that.”

“Come on, Regis, everyone knows you only started claiming that after you got infatuated with that omega and wanted some excuse to be able to-”

Clarus snarled, slamming Calvin Howard against a nearby wall.  “ ** _Do not speak of the queen in that manner again, or I will take great pleasure in ripping your throat out.  With my teeth_**.”  Calvin growled, but otherwise didn’t respond.  Clarus turned back to Regis.  “Do you want to…”

“It might be a good idea, yeah.”  Regis turned to Madison.  “Madison, we would like to try something to prove you’re telling the truth.  Clarus and I definitely believe you, but we want to make sure that the council will believe you.”

“…what is it?”

Regis smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder.  “It’s called a ‘mind meld’.  You know how a pack bond works, right?”  When Madison nodded, he continued, “It’s basically a version of that, but it doesn’t require us to be bonded.  If you allow us, Clarus and I will be able to see your memories of the event and be able to verify it to the council.”

“Only those memories?”

“Yes; since our connection would be rather weak, we would only be able to see those memories.”  Madison bit her lip, taking a few moments before nodding.  “Thank you.”  Regis glanced at Gladio and Ignis.  “Make sure Calvin and Max don’t do anything while we’re doing this.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Ignis replied.  “Nothing will happen.”  Regis smiled, turning back to Madison.  “Just close your eyes and think about that night, and we’ll take care of the rest.”  Madison nodded, closing her eyes.  Once she did, Calvin leered at Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto.  “You all picked a _weak_ omega for your pack—I doubt she could take any of you.”

“Well, then, it’s good that we picked Madi,” Prompto said, “because we don’t intend to treat her like that.  Just because she’s an omega, it doesn’t mean that she has to be…you know…bred.”

“That’s all they’re good for,” Calvin scoffed.  “Omegas have always been the broodmares of their packs, and there is no reason for that to change.”

“Omegas are people just as much as we are,” Ignis growled, “and if you two try to go after Madison again, you will _pay_.”  Max rolled his eyes, taking a few steps closer to Madison.  “Views may have changed due to your father taking an omega bastard as his wife, but we know the truth.”

Before Max could move any closer, Gladio held out an arm to bar him.  To his pack, Gladio’s scent had shifted to something more protective and encouraging.  For Calvin and Max, however, it was terrifying.  “Let me get this straight—you _just_ had my dad tell you to stop badmouthing the late queen and you’re still doing it?  You _are_ as stupid as you look.”  He growled.  “Let me give you some advice—if you _ever_ come near my pack again, you will live _just_ long enough to regret it.  You have no right to touch Madison or any other omega, and if you do, I will join my father in shredding you to pieces.”

Before Calvin or Max could respond, Regis cleared his throat.  “Thank you, Madison,” he said, gently squeezing her shoulder.  Then, he turned to Calvin and Max.  “After seeing Madison’s memories of that night, I am disgusted at your behavior.  You purposefully stalked and assaulted a fifteen-year-old simply because she refused your advances, and committed acts that will haunt her and change her life forever.  Your acts were completely immoral and illegal, and I will make sure that you are prosecuted to the _full_ extent of the law.”  Regis must have then used his own pack bond, as Cor immediately walked through the door.  “What do you need, Regis?”

“Take these two to the cells,” Regis ordered.  “They will stay there until the council decides what to do with them.”  Cor nodded, wrenching both Calvin and Max’s arms behind their back and tying their wrists before grabbing their arms and pulling them towards the door.  As he did, Calvin glared at Regis.  “The alpha community will _not_ be happy with you.”

“Do I look like I give a damn?” Regis asked.  From behind him, Clarus snorted in laughter.  Cor rolled his eyes.  “Most of the alphas I know are fine with the rules about omegas.”

“Get them out of here, Cor,” Regis said.  “I’m pretty sure Clarus is going to stab them if you don’t.”  Cor chuckled, nodding quickly before dragging them out of the room.  As he closed the door, Madison felt a pair of arms wrap around her and pull her against a lithe chest.  “ ** _Well done, Madison—we are proud of you_**.”

“ _Thanks_ ,” Madison said, looking down at the ground.  Ignis smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead.  He then cleared his throat as Regis walked up to them.  “Thank you, Madison—you did a great job.”

“…you’re welcome…” Madison nodded, biting her lip.  Regis smiled, carefully kneeling down to match Madison’s height.  “Get some rest, Madison.  The mind melt will make you a bit woozy for a while, and I know your pack will want you to be with them while you rest.”  Madison nodded, smiling shyly at him.  “Yes, your majesty.”

“Good.”  Regis grabbed Noctis’ shoulder to help raise himself to his feet.  He then gently patted Madison on the head before turning to Clarus.  “We should probably make sure _Cor_ hasn’t stabbed them.”

“Would it be so bad if he did?”

“Unfortunately, that _would_ be considered murder.”

“Damn it.”  Clarus glanced at Gladio.  “Keep an eye on your pack—with Max gone from school for the time being, his friends will most likely go after Noctis, Prompto, and Madison.”

“Of course,” Gladio said, crossing his arms.  “I always do.”  Clarus nodded, pulling Gladio into a one-armed hug.  “Oh, and Iris wanted me to make sure I told you to make sure you’re there for dinner on Sunday.”

“She already knows I’m going to be there,” Gladio grumbled, “she doesn’t need to make you remind me.”  Clarus chuckled, ruffling Gladio’s hair before turning to the others and dipping his head.  “Regis and I are going to be in meetings all day, so you know where to find us.”

“Do we _have_ to go?”  Clarus rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around Regis’ arm and dragged him out of the room.  “Come on, Reg.  You’ll be done with the meetings soon…ish.”

“Dad likes those meetings as much as I do,” Noctis teased.  Ignis rolled his eyes, moving one arm from around Madison to facepalm.  “At least the king still _gets up_ for them.”

“I get up…sometimes…”  Regis smirked, leaning over and kissing Noctis’ forehead before allowing Clarus to pull him out of the room.  Once they were gone, Madison shivered, leaning back further into Ignis’ grip.  “Add that to the list of things I don’t want to do again for a while.”

“What—talk to mine and Gladio’s dads?  They’re not _that_ scary,” Noctis teased.  Madison growled, crossing her arms.  “Your dad’s not _that_ scary, Noct…he’s kinda like a walking grasshopper.”  She rolled her eyes at the reactions of her pack.  “Sorry, my brain’s kinda fried right now.  He’s like you, though…he’s all thin and gangly.  Gladio, though…his dad is built like a tree with four extra trees for limbs.  He’s like, a super tree.”

“Yep, she’s definitely out of it,” Prompto said.  He reached out and gently grabbed Madison’s hands.  “ _Come on_ ; _I bet you we can make it back to Noct’s rooms before the others can_.”  Madison smiled, nodding for a second before darting out from under Ignis’s arms and running after Prompto.  Gladio, Ignis, and Noctis rolled their eyes.  “Should we chase after them?”

“I think not…Madison will most likely have exhausted herself by the time they arrive in your rooms, so she will probably be asleep once we get there.”

“Prom’s been exhausting himself in training too,” Gladio added, “so he might be asleep too.”  He shrugged.  “We’ve got plenty of time to get over there.”

***

_Prom: Hey—are you okay?  You haven’t been answering the bond for a day or so…and you haven’t been at school…_

_Me: Yeah, Prom, I’m fine…I just haven’t been feeling well is all, so I’ve been sleeping a lot.  My parents are making me stay home and were keeping a close eye on me, so I couldn’t really respond._

_Prom: Not feeling well? *sad face emoji* Like sick-sick, or?_

_Me: Nah, just a bit under the weather.  I’ll be back soon, just…feeling kinda iffy right now._

_Prom: Well, get some sleep, Mads…Specs and Gladio kinda freaked when you stopped responding._

_Me: Oops, sorry…let them know I’m all right, will you?  I might be unresponsive for a little while longer cause of sleeping…_

_Prom: *sad emoji*_

_Prom: *sad emoji*_

_Prom: *sad emoji* Will do!  If you don’t get back to school soon, Noct and I are coming to your house and making you soup._

_Me: Not you two—it’d be poisoned for sure!_

_Prom: *laughing emoji* *sticking out tongue emoji* Feel better, Mads!_

***

_Knock knock_!

No answer.

“Madi…are you okay?” Prompto called.  It had been a couple of weeks since Max had attacked Madison, and she was doing better.  She was still nervous around alphas and stuck very close to Noctis, Prompto, and Emily while at school, but she was starting to recover.  Despite that, however, she hadn’t been at school for the last few days, and her packmates had grown worried.  Noctis had asked Ignis to drive them over to her apartment, just to make sure she wasn’t still sick.  As soon as the trio opened the door, a quiet whine and strong, pain-filled scent reached them through the pack bond.  “ _Owh_ …”

“ _What’s wrong, Madi_?”  Madison sighed, glancing up at them.  She was biting her lip in pain, and her eyes were feverish and glassy.  “ _My_ , _uh_ … _my heat started the other day_ , _and I forgot how much it hurts_ …”  She curled up even further into the fetal position on her bed, whimpering softly in pain.   Two soothing Beta scents immediately filled the room, and Noctis and Prompto moved to each rest a hand on her ankles.  Ignis, meanwhile, ran his hand through her hair before shifting her hand to cup her cheek.  “ _Do you want to come to Noctis’s apartment with us, Madison_?  _Gladio will be there before too much longer, and having the entire pack there may help your heat pains_.”  Madison nodded, unconsciously nuzzling the scent gland on his wrist for a few moments.

“ _Noct, Prompto, help her get to the Regalia_ ,” Ignis said.  “ _I’ll let Gladio know what’s going on_.”  Noctis and Prompto nodded, slowly helping Madison to her feet and guiding her towards the door.  “You doing okay, Mads?”

“Yeah…I’m…I’m okay.”  Madison leaned into them, relaxing into their scents as they walked.  “I’m— _owh_ —I’m sore, but I’m okay.”

“Don’t worry, Madi; we’ll be back at my apartment soon,” Noctis said.  “You’ll be able to relax once we get there.”  Madison nodded, exhaling gently as they walked.  Prompto gently nudged her ribs.  “Mads…have you been dealing with your heat this whole week?”

“No… _owh_ …my pre-heat came super early, so my parents made me stay home.  There’s a lot of unmated alphas at school, after all…”  Prompto nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.  “That’s fair…you should have let us know, though.  We could have helped you earlier.”

“Prompto, I’m a mess during my pre-heat, and I spend most of the time in the bathroom puking.  I don’t think any of you really want to see that, and the suppressants I take help…after a day or so…”

Noctis gently squeezed his arm around her waist, smirking as both his and Prompto’s scents floated increasingly more around her.  “Trust me, Madi, if we’ve seen Prom through his stomach issues and Gladio and Specs through their ruts, we can definitely deal with your pre-heats.”

“Their ruts can’t be that bad…”

“Trust me, they’re _bad_ , especially when they’re around the same time…they’ve nearly come to blows at least ten times.”

“Seriously?”

“Yup—having two alphas in a pack is kinda…uncommon, so it’s always awkward when their ruts are around the same time.”

The trio left the door and headed to the Regalia, arriving there just before Ignis did.  “Gladio is on his way over, he’s just getting out of training.”

“Good.”  Noctis pulled out his phone, glancing at Prompto and Madison.  “Wanna play some _King’s Knight_ until we get to my place?”

“You know it, dude!” Prompto yelled, immediately pulling out his phone.  Madison chuckled, grabbing her own.  “As long as you don’t mind me being ridiculously low level; I’m not very good.”

“No problem—Prom and I are a bit OP for this raid anyways.”  Noctis smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.  “We played a lot with Ignis and Gladio when we started, so we leveled up pretty quickly.”

“Lucky.”

***

When they arrived at Noctis’ apartment, Madison lay down on the nearest couch.  “ _Owh_ … _owh_ … _owh_ …”

“ _Easy, Madison_ ,” Ignis said, sitting down on the arm of the couch and running a hand through her hair.  “ _Take a deep breath_.”

“ _I’m_ … _trying_.”  Madison sighed, leaning into the older Alpha’s touch.  “ _My heat_ … _doesn’t really_ … _want me to, though_.”  A small hand rested against her back, gently rubbing up and down.  “ _I’m sorry, Mads…just try and relax.  We’re here for you._ ”

Before Madison could say anything else, a knock came at the door.  Ignis got up and opened it, a sharp scent of relief flowing through the room.  “ _Hello, Gladio_.”

“ _Hey, Iggy.  What’s going on_?”  Ignis sighed, tilting his head towards the couch the other pack members were laying on or near.  “ _It’s Madison_ ,” he said, opting to communicate through their Alpha link instead of the pack bond.  “ _She’s in a lot of pain right now_ , _but seems to do better when she’s around the rest of the pack_.”  Gladio nodded, hanging up his coat and closing the door.  “ _Did somebody hurt her, or_ -”

“ _No, no one hurt her, but_ … _it’s a bit_ … _you might want to ask her_.”  Ignis sighed, leading the older Alpha over towards the couch.  “ _Feeling better, little one_?”

“ _A little bit, yeah_ ,” Madison murmured.  She glanced up at Gladio, waving shyly.  “ _Hey, Gladio_.”

“ _Hey, little one_ ,” Gladio said, resting a warm hand on her throat.  His scent swirled around her, causing her to sink a bit more into the couch.  Noctis jumped off the couch, moving to tackle Prompto to the ground.  “ _Owh_!  _Dude, what the_ -”

“ _Oh, come on, Prom_ -”

“ ** _Enough_** ,” Ignis growled.  “ _If you’re going to roughhouse, then please do it in a different room_.”  Madison snorted, smiling at them for a moment before groaning in pain.  A gentle hand rested on her back, rubbing in large circles.  A soft tap on her forehead caught her attention and caused her to look up at the older men.

“What happened, Madi…what’s going on?” Gladio asked, resting a hand on top of Madison’s head.  Madison whined, her feet flicking gently as her stomach clenched again.  “I, uh…heat.”  Gladio sighed, running his hand through her hair.  “I’m sorry, Madi…I’ve heard those are rough.”

“Aren’t, uh…”  Prompto cut off, a slight scent of embarrassment coming from him.  “I always heard that, uh…that heats were enjoyable for omegas…”  He glanced down as he scuffed his shoe along the ground.  Ignis rested a hand on Prompto’s shoulder, squeezing gently.  “It’s all right, Prompto—most materials for Betas only mention the pleasurable heats that Omegas have.  Unfortunately for Madison and other Omegas, however, those only occur once an Omega has mated with an Alpha.  Since Madison hasn’t mated with anyone, her heats are still painful.”

“How can we help?” Noctis asked, kneeling down and running his thumb over the scent gland on her throat, which was now starting to swell.  Madison sighed, relaxing at his touch.  “I…I dunno…just…be here, I guess?  Your…your scents help.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Gladio said, lifting her head into his lap.  He slowly began to exude a calming scent, smiling as she sighed in relief.  Before she could flick her feet again, Prompto grabbed them and dropped them in his lap.  Madison always wore socks, even indoors, and the older Beta gently ran a hand over top of them.  “Is this okay, Madi?”

“…Yeah, that’s fine,” Madison said, smiling shyly at him.  Prompto grinned, slipping one finger under the sock and rubbing her skin.  “This okay too?”

“…Yeah.”

“Would you like a heat wrap for your stomach, Madison?” Ignis asked, resting a hand on her knee.  Madison nodded.  “Yes, please.”  Ignis smiled, squeezing her knee before heading for Noctis’s bathroom.  As he left, Gladio turned to Noctis.  “Are there any Alphas in the apartments near yours that you know of?”

“There’s a couple, yeah,” Noctis replied.  “You think they’d try anything?”

“If they can detect her, they _might_.”  Gladio sighed.  “Keep a nose out for anyone who might be approaching.”  Noctis nodded, continuing to carefully trail his fingers over her gland.  “Madi, what’s sore besides your stomach?”

“…mainly just my stomach…but I’ve got a _bad_ headache too,” Madison muttered.  “I’m kinda sore, but that’s normal.”  Noctis nodded, reaching over her to grab the TV remote and pull her a bit further against his side.  He turned on the TV and started searching through channels just as Ignis walked back into the room.  “What are we watching?”

“Dunno yet, Specs,” Gladio said, “Noct hasn’t picked a channel.”

“Well, there’s not that much good on yet…”  As they continued talking, Ignis slipped the heating pad against her stomach and sat down next to Noctis behind her.  “I’m sure there is something beneficial on.”

“Uh oh,” Prompto smirked, “Iggy’s breaking out the big words again.”  Madison giggled, exhaling slowly as the heating pad started taking off the worst of her cramps.  “There’s always…that magic school movie series.  Altissan Broadcast Company shows it every couple of days.”

“YOU’RE A GENIUS, MADI!” Prompto exclaimed, swiping the remote from Noctis and rapidly scrolling through the channels.  Madison flinched, turning into Gladio’s chest as a bright light startled her.  “ **Slow down** , **Prom, you’re going to give her a heart attack**.”

“Oops—sorry, little one,” Prompto said, gently patting her feet.  “I’ll go slower.”  He finally found the right channel, and the group settled down.  Madison sighed, relaxing into Gladio’s chest.  She flinched for a moment as her heat pheromones flared up, but the warm scent of vanilla and cinnamon—of _Ignis_ —swept over her and kept hers suppressed.  “ _Just focus on the movie, Madison_.”  Madison nodded, letting out a quiet exhale as the pain from her heat slowly faded away.

As she was focused on the movie, Noctis froze.  “ _Gladio_ — _there’s an alpha walking by my apartment_ … _who’s walked by about six times._ ”  Gladio growled, shifting slightly.  “ _Iggy, switch spots with me.  I’m gonna go deal with that idiot_.”  Ignis nodded, purring gently to distract Madison as he switched with Gladio.  The older Alpha rose to his feet, patting Prompto on the shoulder as he left the apartment.  As he opened the door, Gladio easily picked out the alpha that Noctis had scented.  The other alpha was short and broad, with blond hair and brown eyes.  He seemed to have been walking by their apartment, but had frozen, and was scenting the air with a lust-filled sneer.  He jolted, however, when he noticed Gladio leaning against the now-closed door.  “What are you doing here?”

“I don’t think I need to answer to some random stranger who showed up at my apartment building,” the other alpha snarled.  “If anything, I should be reporting _you_ for being here when you’re not allowed to-” Gladio growled darkly and deeply, his canines beginning to shift as he did.  “I am the Prince’s Shield, you idiot.  I’m allowed to be wherever the hell I _want_ to be, and right now you’re definitely _not_ supposed to be here.”

“What do you-”

“I know what you’re doing here and what you’re smelling.  For your sake, _keep walking_.”  The other alpha snorted, moving slightly closer.  “Oh, really?  And why should I?”

“Because I don’t think you really want to deal with two angry Betas and two enraged Alphas while trying to take advantage of their Omega.  Especially when one of those Betas is the prince of Lucis.”  The alpha froze, his eyes darting around the hallway as he quickly began to backpedal.  “Oh, I, uh…”

“ _Leave_.  _Now_.”  The man nodded, dashing away as fast as he could.  Gladio stayed outside to glare until the man had left the hall.  After that, he went back into the apartment and locked the door.  The others hadn’t moved much from their previous spots, but Prompto had shifted to lay over her and nose her other swollen scent gland.  “Feeling better, little one?”

“Yeah…I’m still somewhat sore, but I’m feeling better.”  Noctis smiled, gently rubbing her back.  “How many days do you have left in your heat?”

“…Three, I think.”  Noctis smiled as she rolled towards them.  Gladio made his way over, sitting down by her knees.  “Are your parents home?”

“No…they took this week off for vacation.”  A couple of tears slid down her face, and Ignis wiped them away.  “You know, Madison, Noctis has a guest room here in his apartment, and I am sure that he wouldn’t mind you staying here until your heat passes.”  Madison turned to look up at Noctis, who nodded.  “Yeah, I definitely don’t mind, Madi.  As long as _you_ don’t mind Prom coming over a bunch.”

“Well, if you’re fine with it,” Madison said, smiling shyly at him, “then I am too.”  She yawned, rolling into Ignis’s lap a bit more.  “Looks like you could fall asleep right now,” Prompto teased.  Madison nodded, curling up into the fetal position.  “…yeah…”  She smiled as a slender hand brushed over her eyes and pressed down until they closed.  “ **Sleep** , **then**.  **You’ll** **need your energy to get through your heat** , **and we won’t wake you**.”  Madison tried to open her eyes, but all four other scents in the room immediately turned soothing and reassuring, blanketing her in them again so much that she fell asleep nearly immediately.

As soon as Madison was deep enough asleep, Prompto glanced at the others.  “Will she be going to school with us the next few days?”

“Maybe,” Noctis replied, shifting a bit to get more comfortable.  “It depends on how she feels, and how much pain she’s in.”  He ran a hand over the gland on her wrist.  “I doubt she’ll be feeling up to it tomorrow, though, with how sore she is.”

“Can either of you grab her homework?” Ignis asked.

“Yeah,” Prompto said, “I can stop by her classes after we get out of class.”  He ran a hand through Madison’s hair.  “Why are her scent glands so swollen?”

“When an Omega goes into heat, their scent goes into overdrive,” Gladio replied.  “It’s like an alpha’s rut—their senses are heightened and their scent goes crazy, which is why the glands swell.  Yours might swell a bit as well in response to her scent, since we’re packmates.”

“ _And_ why us being here helps,” Ignis said.  “It’s similar to scent restoration, in that she is incredibly sensitive to our scents and is using them to keep herself somewhat calm and relaxed.”  He glared at Noctis and Prompto.  “So, whatever you do, do _not_ get angry with each other while she’s here.”

“If she does end up going to school with you,” Gladio continued, “make sure Max stays away from her.  She’ll be sensitive to other alphas’ scents since she’s not mated, so she’ll have to be careful.”  Noctis and Prompto nodded, stretching out and closing their eyes.  Ignis and Gladio smiled, subtly changing their scents to something more soothing.  The Betas briefly tried to fight it, but gentle fingers began to trace circles on their scent glands, and that pressure combined with the soothing alpha scents sent both betas to sleep rather quickly.  Once they drifted off, Ignis leaned back.  “We’re going to have to be careful—an unmated Omega’s scent is very enticing for unmated Alphas.  Noctis and Prompto will not have as much difficulty since they’re Betas.”

“It’s not as much of a danger for us, though, Specs, since we’re bonded with her.  We don’t have that urge to…you know…mate her.”

“I know that.  I was referring to other Alphas.  She’ll still have some effect on us, but it won’t be very strong.”  Prompto began to stir, but a gentle push through the bond and a brush of Ignis’s fingers across his throat knocked him back out.  Gladio glanced at the door, making sure that it was completely locked.  Ignis smirked, quietly pushing himself to his feet.  “I’m going to get started on dinner.  If you could start getting the three of them in bed, that would be appreciated.”  Gladio grinned, pushing himself to his feet and gently picking Noctis up.

“Don’t worry, Iggy—I’ve got ‘em.”

***

Madison blinked, slowly rolling her head to the right.  Noctis was lying next to her, his head propped up on his left hand.  “Hey, Mads.  How are you feeling?”  Madison didn’t respond for a few seconds, seeming to need a while to process what Noctis had said.  “I’m, uh…okay, I think?  Sore and nauseous and…”  She blushed, glancing down at the bed.  “Kinda awkwardly needy for… _that_ …”  A hand slipped into hers, and Madison felt a gentle press through the pack bond.  “ _You don’t need to be embarrassed_ , _Madi_.”

“ _Of course I do_!”  She bit her lip.  “ _I’m not_ … _I’m not broadcasting any of **those** thoughts, am I_?”

“… _a little bit_ , _yeah_.”  Noctis chuckled at her whimper, reaching up and running a hand through her hair.  “ _It’s your heat, Madi, not you_.  _Most of it’s jumbled up before it even gets across the bond, and Ignis and I are pretty good about calming you down via scents.  Gladio and Prompto are good at it too, but they prefer to just hug you to almost-certain-death_.”  Madison’s lips quirked as she rested her head on Noctis’ shoulder.  “Hugging’s not so bad.”

“If you want to breathe, it is,” Noctis teased.  Madison sighed, her eyes slipping closed as she relaxed in Noctis’ scent.  His was the most comforting to Madison out of the entire pack’s, since he was the first she became friends with.  “You…smell like a campfire.”

“Well, you smell like chocolate and cherries, so I think we’re even.”  Noctis nudged her in the ribs.  “Come on, little one.  You slept through most of the day, so Ignis brought over some soup for you.”  He laughed as she struggled into a seated position and glared at him.  “Hey, it’s supposed to be good for your heat.”

“Anything’s good for it,” Madison grumbled.  Noctis chuckled, kicking Prompto’ ankles as they got up.  Prompto jumped, his limbs flailing as he fell to the floor.  “ _Noct_!”  Madison burst out in laughter.  “Prom looks like a hyper squirrel!” she teased.  Prompto squeaked as he pushed to his feet.  “A _squirrel_?  _Me_?”  Madison giggled, slowly making her way out of the room with a blanket pulled around her shoulders.  Prompto ruffled her hair as he walked alongside her, still protesting her squirrel comparison.  “Do you want it to be a hamster instead?”

Noctis rolled his eyes, following behind them.  Gladio and Ignis were sitting in the living room watching a movie.  As they entered, Gladio glanced up at them.  “How are you feeling, Madi?”

“Um…like I’ve got the flu or something,” Madison replied.  She made her way over to the couch and sat down, curling up against Gladio’s side.  He grinned, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her against his side.  Ignis smiled, resting his hand on her knee.  “Prompto and Noctis grabbed your homework from school, and we made Gladio get some heat medicine for you.”

“Oh…thank you.”  Madison blushed again.  Noctis laughed, walking up behind them and passing Madison a bowl of soup.  “What movie are you guys watching?

“ _Gone with the Thundara_ —it’s a classic film,” Gladio replied.  Prompto and Noctis burst out laughing.  “That’s a _bad_ movie,” Prompto said, punching Gladio in the shoulder.  “My Advanced Film class watched that movie recently, and _none_ of us liked it.”

“We watched it in my literature class,” Madison chimed in, squeezing Ignis’s hand gently.  “There were only a couple of people who actually liked it.”  Gladio sighed, rolling his eyes.  “You youngsters have no taste.”

“You’re not much older than we are!” Noctis argued, shoving Gladio’s knees.  He then settled in front of the couch, the back of his head resting on Madison’s knees.  Prompto sat next to him, throwing himself into Noctis’ lap.  “Plus,” Noctis continued, “haven’t you seen that movie like ten thousand times?”

“Well, all right, then,” Gladio said, “what would you choose to watch?”

“ _Lord of the Crystals_?”  The others glanced at Madison, who shrugged.  “ _It’s one of my favorite movie series, and I haven’t seen it in a while_.”  Then, she smirked.  “ _It’s got a lot of guys hitting each other with swords_.”

Noctis smiled, gently squeezing Madison’s shoulder.  “ _People hitting each other with swords_?  _That’s Gladio’s favorite thing_!”  Gladio rolled his eyes, reaching over and swatting Noctis’s head.  “ ** _Shush, you_**.”

“Those movies are easy to find, I believe,” Ignis said, patting Madison on the head.  “In addition, Gladio has seen this movie too many times.  A different film would do him good.”  Gladio sighed, running a hand through his hair.  “ _Ha ha_.”  As Noctis got up to put the movie in, Prompto ran a finger over Madison’s wrist.  “Emily texted to say that she hopes you feel better soon, and that she wants to go get ice cream with you as soon as you’re feeling better.”  Madison smiled, her eyes lighting up.  “I showed her this little hole-in-the-wall ice cream place, and she’s gotten addicted to going there.”

“Ice cream sounds really good right now,” Noctis said, leaning back against the couch.  “Iggy hasn’t let me have any in, like, three years.”

“Ice cream is not healthy, Noct,” Ignis said, glaring over at him. Madison chuckled, nudging his shoulder.  “He told _you_ , Noct.”  Noctis rolled his eyes, shifting to his wolf form and jumping onto the couch.  He curled up against Madison’s side, allowing her to run a hand through his fur.  His warmth eased the growing pain in her stomach, and she sighed in relief.

For a while no one spoke, content to simply pay attention to the movie.  Noctis let out a purr from time to time, causing Madison to smile.  After about a half an hour Prompto also shifted, leaping up to land on Gladio and Ignis’s laps.  Ignis raised an eyebrow.  “ _Was that truly necessary, Prompto_?”

“ _Of course it was_!”  Gladio facepalmed, roughly punching the younger Beta in the shoulder.  “ _Seriously, Prom_?  _I would punch you harder if it wouldn’t dislodge Madi_.”  Prompto huffed, reaching up and licking under Gladio’s chin, ducking back down before the older Alpha could do anything.  Gladio glared at him, growling darkly.  “ ** _Prom_** …”

Madison chuckled, closing her eyes as she curled into Gladio and Noctis’ warmth.  She was still in pain and a bit nauseous, but her packmates were allowing her to relax and ignore the urges.  She wasn’t tired, but the closeness of her pack was relaxing and comforting.  Madison let out a quiet purr.  A strong hand rested on her knee and squeezed gently, but no one responded.  The pack continued to banter, allowing Madison to rest.  Her heat and wound began to twinge again, but Gladio’s scent of smoky honey rose up to ease it.  He still didn’t say anything, but his lips brushed against her forehead.  “ ** _Our Omega_** _, remember?  You’re safe here, and we will do whatever we can to help you feel better.  You can rest_ — _we’ll keep you safe._ ”

And with that, Madison slipped into a half-doze.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N #2: Hello, everyone! So, this story has taken a VERY long time to finish, but I’m glad it’s finally done! :D There is probably going to be a second chapter, since I have an idea for an ending bit (after the 10-year-gap), but I wanted to get this first part out first before I had to go back to school! :D Hopefully the characters aren’t too OOC, and that my view of A/B/O and omegaverse makes sense! I did a lot of research on how wolves interact with their packmates, so hopefully that comes across…it was interesting to look into, since I did barely any research for my first A/B/O fic. I’m hoping to have another FFXV fic out soon (I’m right in the middle of one, I just don’t know how to end it), which I’m excited for you all to read!  
> I hope you enjoyed the story, and I’ll see you all soon!  
> God bless,  
> joyrachsis6


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